


The Demon Pact

by Gilthlonel



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, Childhood Trauma, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Slow Burn, This might be longer then I think, Title Subject to Change, i totally forgot that tag!, just 2 I think..., lots of lore gather round!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2020-11-02 05:09:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 42,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20631893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilthlonel/pseuds/Gilthlonel
Summary: Gray has always been a devil slayer and while he might not have his family by his side he definitely has their traditions and their protection. Now if only he could figure out how to learn his powers and deal with everything else that comes with being a slayer.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So... This is probably going to be my pride within my Fairy Tail writing. I have had this idea for so long and I hope I do it justice.
> 
> ...or if not that’s what a rewrite is for...

X766 Unknown Isvan Village

She had been more then proud when they first placed her son in her arms. The soft smattering of black hair and the generously bright blue eyes that would probably darken over time. Her mother had been so sure that it would be a girl but Mika had known. A boy first to protect any daughters that her and Silver would have. He would have his father’s protective instincts. They’d have to remind him time and again to not give over everything to his family. Just like his father.

In the doorway of the hospital room, her husband Silver stood tall and proud as he spoke to the doctors about next steps as they waited for the Shaman to come. Their tribe was very small even as the village of Isvan began to expand. Known mostly as the ‘Snow People’ not many knew of their customs outside of the tribe but the medical staff had always been understanding of many of their traditions.

Their trusted Shaman, Cortez would be arriving momentarily to give their son his first fortune and bless his birthing. Later there would be a great many celebrations, but now as Silver turned to her and smiled down at the finally sleeping infant, she knew which naming tradition to carry on.

“His name is Gray.” She whispered, as he sat on the bed beside her. “He’s going to be so much like you.”

“Heaven help us.” Silver laughed and then he kissed her forehead. “Or should I say heaven help you? What are you going to do with not one but two cocky hot heads?”

“I manage you just fine.” She snorted and then looked down at her precious bundle as he stirred slightly at the sound of his father’s voice. “And I’ll handle him as well.”

“Am I interrupting?” A soft, wizened voice spoke.

“Not at all Shaman Cortez. Come take a look at this little troublemaker.” Silver spoke as he gestured the man in.

Even though they were from the same family tree Cortez and Silver couldn’t be more different. Her husband was a large man with a boisterous laugh, one of the village protectors where as Cortez was a thin and wiry man more invested in the arts but both men were heavily invested in the spiritual aspects of their people. Cortez laughed at the words as he approached.

“The Fullbuster family is full of all sorts of types I’ll have you know. Then again the Iris side of the family has always been rather wild.” Cortez approached the bed carefully.

For a moment Mika found herself nervous, even though it was a common tradition and she had been handed to a Shaman as a babe, as had Silver. And yet something in her seemed to stray, to want to hold her baby just a little bit longer. She steeled herself and passed the baby to his cousin. Almost immediately Gray let his strong lungs be known.

“He’s definitely your son.” Cortez laughed as he gently rocked the baby to shush him. A lull fell over the room as the old quiet magics were worked. After a short while Cortez returned the baby to his mother and sat down heavily.

“That child… is very special.” He swallowed hard. “He already has the mark of the demon.”

“He’s far too young for that!” Silver protested immediately and Mika stared at them with wide eyes as she clutched the baby closer. “He’s gone through no ritual and his magic power isn’t even that strong yet!”

“It is not uncommon…” Cortez stated quietly. “That a demon will choose it’s next charge itself. Devil Slayer magic is hereditary. I would say that he has inherited your grandmother’s demon if I were to guess. But only the demons will know for sure.”

A silence lulled over the room and Silver swore softly. A Shaman didn’t lie, especially in matters of those tasked with protecting the village. Those tasked with the work of protecting the Land of Isvan were called demon bearers but to the outside world were known as Devil Slayers. Enhanced beyond what others were in terms of physicality. He rubbed a thumb across his forehead.

“I guess I will have to talk to Ma. He’ll need to undergo the ritual.” Silver kissed his son’s forehead. “After all, he can’t do proper training until he turns fifteen.”

* * *

X744 Unknown Isvan Village

The fire of destruction was greater then anything Mika had even seen before. As she tugged her young son behind her and her dear husband in front of her. Silver hadn’t been on patrol today. In which she was glad. The eight year old was confused but she had expected that. The evacuation would be slow and they would have to rebuild. Deliora had been in Ishgar for decades now. They would be fine. They would be—

The blast sent them flying and she gasped in pain as she was slammed into the wall instead of the child she was cradling. Her weakened arms released him and dropped him to the ground and she sunk down in pain. Silver knelt before her and swallowed hard. He kissed her forehead gently.

“I love you… you know that?” He asked quietly as he gently rubbed at the blood running down her chin.

“S-Silver… G-Gray.” She lifted a weak hand. Silver pulled the child to him and then pushed him forward.

“It’s a little early… but release the seal on ‘em.” Silver spoke even as Gray sobbed and tried to fight his embrace.

“I—”

“Please Mika. I don’t think we’re going to make it, but he can.” Silver shuffled closer and kissed her again. “Do this for me and you can rest. I know it hurts. I know.” He continued to speak calmly and gently. He didn’t want her to look down. If she saw the extent of the damage to her body she’d die faster. This way she could say goodbye.

“O…okay.” She lifted a bloody hand and laid it across her son’s forehead. The soft words and the purple glow was something that Gray knew he’d remember for the rest of his life as her last gift. When the glow faded his mother was gone.

“Fuck.” Silver whispered as he caught her slumping body. “That might have been the only thing keeping her alive.”

A deep roar sounded and a blaze of energy blasted through the village not too far away. Silver swallowed back anything he wanted to say and scooped Gray up. He knew it was his duty to search for other survivors, to help as a demon bearer but not until Gray was safe. Not until— The next blast sent buildings and other debris flying their way. Even with his magic flaring out to freeze it, it wasn’t enough. He pushed the child forward and gasped as the breath went out of him.

“No… NO!” Silver gasped as he tried to pull himself from the rubble. Gray had hit his head on something. He couldn’t have lost both his wife and son. He had to get him to safety. He had promised Mika. He had promised…

* * *

X744 Unknown Isvan Village

It was such a bright day. The sun glinted off snow and ruin as a little boy with blue black hair dug in the rubble of his home. In the early hours of the morning the day was surprisingly quiet, the sounds of the dying had stopped sometime around the day before and now he was quite sure that he was the only survivor. The cold didn't bother him much but occasionally he thought about leaving. There were villages beyond the snow drifts, the other villages that made up The Land of Isvan as Shaman Cortez had told him but he found that he couldn't leave. 

If he left who would keep his parents company? He sat quietly in the ruins and listened to the soft sounds of melting snow and shifting rubble. He had looked for others at first, moving like a ghost among the ruins. But Shaman Cortez was dead as was Gramma Rose and Gramma Lilika. 

As he moved back to where his parents bodies were, a commotion happened and another building begin to collapse. Running, he tried to escape but he wasn’t fast enough. As it collapsed onto him, he went down gasping in surprise and pain. Whimpering, he tried to pull himself out but eventually exhaustion won out and he patiently waited to die.

* * *

“Over here Lyon! There's a survivor.” The voice that spoke was too loud and female. He instantly tried to scrambled back and gasped in pain as the beam dug into his back a little more.

A small hand shot out and touched his and he tried not to scream. The small hand, belonged to a boy with bright white hair and behind him was the woman who had spotted him. She was beautiful with short dark hair and serious eyes. She knelt down and got into a good position. With strength that Gray hadn’t expected she hefted the beam off of him and the little boy helped him crawl out. Once out, he pushed away from them.

“Who are you?” He spit out as he glared at them.

“My name is Lyon! And this is Ur. Who are you?” The boy seemed endlessly cheerful and Gray instantly hated him.

“Gray.” He looked them over, they didn’t really seem like fighters. “Why’d you come here?”

“To look for survivors.” Ur stated and she looked him over. “It seems that after the reports of the monster leaving no one wanted to look for survivors and so we came.”

“No one else is here.” Gray replied and turned away from them. “Just me.”

Ur looked about to say something but then she paused. Next to her the boy gasped. “You’re skin!!”

Gray didn’t even look. It happened sometimes. The tattoo of his clan, his demon would appear and then spread into black marks like jagged scars across his skin. It was probably scary to outsiders as the boy took a nervous step back but Ur didn’t seem phased at all.

“You’re pretty young to be getting those marks.” She drawled as she knelt down and took his arm gently to examine them. “You’re Silver and Mika’s aren’t you?”

“You… you know my parents?” Gray felt himself lean forward.

“Not well.” She admitted. “I fought alongside your father a few times is all. I can’t teach you this magic, but I can teach you… if you want to be able to fight.”

“I do. I do!” He gasped as he held her arm back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some childhood shenanigans!

X744 Magnolia

It had taken a long time to get away from it all. And it was probably strange to see a young boy traveling by himself. After what had happened with Ur and Lyon’s subsequent hatred staying north wasn’t an option. He had thought that combining what Ur had taught him with the magic of his father would be enough to take on Deliora. Instead, the magic had refused to respond. His demon hadn’t answered him at all. It was a deep betrayal that he hadn’t expected. 

His decision to travel had brought him quite far south into a new country that had agreed to take him in as a refugee of Deliora and had sent him to a small town called Magnolia. The officials had said that there was a good orphanage there.

Gray had ditched the caravan taking him to there as soon as they passed the city gates. He was a citizen and could do what he wanted. As he wandered the town he thought of various options of what he could do when he stumbled and realized that he’d lost his shirt. Turning back to scoop it up, he noticed it in the hands of a rather small peculiar man.

“Now this is a strange sight. You might want to keep your shirt young man.” The old man held it out and Gray snatched it before turning to stomp off.

“I can feel a lot of magic coming from you boy. Might I talk to your parents?” That stilled Gray’s movements but he didn’t turn back. 

“What’s it to you old man?”

“You have a very old magic in you that might attract unwanted attention. I’m Makarov the master of Fairy Tail. I just wanted to—”

“I don’t have any parents.” Gray turned to face him. “I practice Ice Make Magic.”

A peculiar look crossed the man’s face and he approached Gray carefully. Gray found himself a bit amused that at almost nine years old this was an adult he didn’t have to look up to. 

“Your teacher was very good.” Makarov stated as he continued to analyze the child. “She taught you well how to mask your other magic but your anger has exposed it. You could attract a more unsavory demon to you child. Looking to gain energy. Demons eat other demons you know. And yours is powerful and unguarded.”

“It’s _not_ unguarded.” Gray furiously growled. “I’m guarding it and I won’t let anyone take it!”

Makarov nodded and then smiled brightly. “You are quite a fierce mage brat. Why don’t you come check out my guild? If you hate it, you can always leave. But it’s a bright place full of powerful mages.”

“Powerful… mages?” Gray asked as he thought back on Ur’s last advice to Lyon. _There are plenty of powerful mages in other countries. Even more powerful than me. Once you have surpassed me, you can look for your next goal there. _“I’ll go!”

* * *

X777 Fairy Tail Guild

There were rumblings in the guild about a new member coming. It seemed as if everyone was excited. There hadn’t been a new member in a while and honestly Cana and Ezra were not necessarily his favorite people to train with. He supposed that he could train with one of the adults but they weren’t too fond of how cold his magic could get and Makarov had warned him quite a few times to not use his demon slaying powers yet.

When the doors opened he had almost thought that Makarov had brought yet another girl when he had seen the bright cherry blossomed colored hair. He was however pleasantly surprised to see that it was a boy. He could at least have a lot of fun wrestling with the other and practicing martial arts if their magic wasn’t compatible.

“This is Natsu Dragneel. He’s a Fire Dragon Slayer.” Gray felt himself wilt immediately and then grow angry. How dare Makarov let this new idiot be allowed to proudly be a Slayer?! Gray excluded every bit of arrogance he could force out of his small frame as he insulted the other boy. What he got in return he never expected.

“What are you?” Natsu asked curiously as he approached the other. “You smell funny.”

“What’s that supposed ta mean?!” Gray asked and realized that in his anger he wasn’t suppressing his power. Could Natsu smell his demon? Without thinking he swung at the other boy.

Ezra stepped in almost immediately with her fists and as they sat nursing their wounds, Gray decided that he had to work harder on suppressing. If Natsu was allowed to proudly proclaim being a Dragon Slayer but Gray was not, then there had to be something profoundly wrong with his family’s magic and he would refrain from using it as much as possible. The two boys sat side by side as they got bandaged.

“I’m going to be the best one day.” Natsu stated quietly as if Gray and him hadn’t been at each others throats. “And you’ll be there to see it. Oh, and I’m sorry that I said you smelled weird. It must have been all the random smells since I only smelled it briefly.”

* * *

X777 Behind the guild

Natsu had to admit, he didn’t understand what was so shocking about what he had said. The other boy did smell strange. It wasn’t like the others in the guild who smelled purely of magic and others. No, Gray had smelled like something ancient and also like darkness.

But also something comforting that he wanted to keep. He hadn’t understood those feelings but the Ice Mage got so angry that he wasn’t sure that he could talk to him about it. And then the smell was just gone, as if it had never existed. Natsu didn’t know what to make of that and it had him a little worried to be honest. 

That smell had been ingrained into everything that Gray was, Natsu was sure that if Gray’s parents were in the same area they would all have noticed that scent had been erased. He wanted desperately ask about it, but wasn’t sure that he would be allowed to. 

Instead he decided to be quiet about it and try to catch another whiff of it. It wasn’t important after all, just a little mystery to occupy his time as he searched for Igneel.

* * *

X778 Mt. Hakobe

At twelve years old, Gray knew that he was supposed to start practicing being comfortable with his Devil Slayer magic and yet he found his heart wasn’t in it. He had managed to keep the secret about it and had only used it sparingly. He had come to Mt. Hakobe by himself under Makarov’s orders to meditate and practice boasting his Ice Make magic with his Devil Slayer magic. He wasn’t sure he wanted to use it that way. Attempting to figure out how this magic was meant to be used been an itch inside him since he had traveled West when he was younger and had been searching for powerful wizards. He tipped his head back and looked up into the clear sky.

Ice Make Magic he could understand and see the beauty in. A magic that allowed for freedom and creativity. He had taken drawing classes from Reedus for ages to make sure that he could craft his ideas perfectly. Sometimes he cursed having this useless magic inside of him, what was the point? He couldn’t tell anyone and he couldn’t use it. Makarov had made that very clear that others would seek to either destroy it or take it if he was properly trained. It was all that he had left of his parents and even now he couldn’t decide what to do with it.

With a groan he dropped the suppressing magic and let himself get used to his enhanced hearing, sight and smell again. The tattoo had grown again, this time intricately spreading up his arm from wrist to shoulder. He knew that the tips of his ears were sharper as well as fangs like the Dragon Slayer.

Gray knew he had to ask himself a question. Was he now strong enough to protect his guild, his family should their enemies come to challenge him? If he was, he could use this magic more and more. He’d have Makarov’s blessing at sixteen to attempted the Demon Calling ritual so that he could finally freely use it, after all the old man had only wanted him to observe his family’s traditions and protect him. Gray was old enough to know that now.

His caught a whiff of a familiar smell and spun around. Why the hell would Natsu be coming here? Too surprised, he didn’t even bother to suppress his magic and came face to face with his rival of years with his true self on display.

“What the fuck stripper?!” Natsu stared at the other boy with wide eyes. When did Gray have power like this, or look like that. Gray was naked all the damn time, no way he would have missed a tattoo that damn big.

“Fuck.” Gray spoke and then he rolled his eyes. “Too late now I guess. I’m a slayer but no one is supposed to know that yet.”

“What do you mean yet?!” Natsu lifted up a flaming fist. “Were you just holding out on me? Hey! This is that weird smell you had ages ago!”

Gray shook his head. “I-Damnit flame brain, no one is supposed to know about this until I’m sixteen! That’s why. Its about my village, my family—” The ice mage cut himself off, he and Natsu didn’t talk about things like that.

“Oh.” Natsu nodded firmly and let his flames dissipate. “I understand. When you turn sixteen, I expect you to fight me then. Full out with these powers too!”

Gray shook his head at the silly smile. He didn’t want to fight with these powers, at least, not until he finally found his demon. “I have the powers of a demon Natsu. Devil Slayers have kind of strict rules. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to really use them.”

“So you’re an Ice Devil Slayer?” Natsu asked and then leaned forward. “Wait... Does that mean that you have enhanced abilities like a Dragon Slayer?”

“You fucking idiot.” Gray slammed an icy fist into Natsu’s face and the other laughed.

“Me?” Natsu asked as he sent a fiery fist into Gray’s stomach. “Aren’t you a Fairy Tail wizard? You gonna let a few old fashioned rules keep you from reaching your true strength?”

Gray paused and stared at the other. Natsu was right. Even after all this time he was letting his worries about _if_ he could call his demon taint how he felt about his magic. He stood up to his full height.

“When I turn sixteen, Natsu! I’m going to use my Ice Devil Slayer Magic and I am going to kick your ass!”

“I’d like to see you try, Ice Princess!”

* * *

X782 Magnolia

Gray and Natsu never fight with Gray using his full powers. Instead, others join the guild. Natsu and Gray continue to fight never had a heart to heart about any of it. The Strauss siblings come and Natsu had made another close friend. Gray could already tell that it was different from his friendships with the other guild kids. There was no time to go up the mountain alone and fight away from the others.

When Gray turned sixteen, he took the book that he had brought with him from Isvan and went up Mt. Hakone by himself and laid out everything he needed. He shifted around and looked over all the steps. He desperately hoped that through the lore and traditions written in the book he could figure it out how to call a demon.

No matter what he tried though, no one answered.

He resolved to himself that he would focus on suppressing it. It was too dangerous to use with a pact, the book had been quite clear on that. If need be, he would use it if there was no other option to boost his Ice Make but there was no reason to let others know about it. After all, Natsu had forgotten about it and Makarov seemed to trust his judgment on how and when to use his magic. Ice Make would always be his primary magic anyways. As a promise to Ur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, this kind of explains a bit of Gray’s conflict with using his innate magic without being too confusing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guess who thought they would update on Saturdays and immediately forgot one? Either way, expect the next chapter on Saturday...

X784 Galuna Island

The sight of the monster that still haunted Gray’s dreams brought him to a full stop as he stared at it. Even though he had seen it before, watching Ur’s ice melt due to Moondrip. He could barely hear what was going on around him as terror consumed him at the beast’s inhuman noises. And then a shudder went through him as he listened to Lyon and Natsu talk about it. Pulling himself back to the present he slammed his arm into Lyon knocking him down.

“Leave the rest to me! I’ll be the one to take down Deliora.” He hissed as he moved in the position for Iced Shell.

“Do you have an idea howling it took to melt that ice?! NO! Don’t do it, Gray!” Lyon screamed as he struggled to try and get up. “That’s Iced Shell! This will just repeat the same thing! Your ice will eventually melt again… Then Deliora will be revived again!”

Gray unleashed the power of the spell. “But this is the only thing I can do! The.. Only way to stop him now is this!” He snapped as he prepared to cast.

Gray had, lost in grief, terror, and determination, forgotten all about Natsu. Right up until the Dragonslayer stepped infant o him. “We’re going to fight that thing.”

“Natsu move! You’re in the way!”

“I stopped you before because I didn’t want you to die.” Natsu turned to look at him. “Didn’t you hear my voice? This is a demon, isn’t it? Stop trying to run and use the proper magic.”

Gray swallowed at Natsu’s words. He hadn’t even thought to use his Devil Slayer magic. He breathed out weakly, dropping the suppression magic, not even looking as the tattoo spread up his arm. He moved to stand next to Natsu. If there was a chance to beat this monster. They’d do it, together.

The beast reared up to attack, the exact same attack that it had meant to use against Ur. At the height of its lift a loud crack sounded and then the whole arm shattered. Gray stopped and stared up at the beast with wide eyes as it slowly began to crack and crumble.

“…Deliora… was already dead.” Lyon’s lamenting voice echoed over them. For ten years it was in Ur’s ice, having its life stolen little by little. All we did was witness it’s final moments.” The others stood stock still as they watched it fall. “I can’t… I can’t surpass Ur!”

Gray found himself unable to move. Not even to chastise Lyon for his callous words. In his chest swelled love, pride, and pain. He thought of Ur’s words as tears began to fill his eyes.

“You had one amazing teacher!” Natsu exclaimed as he turned to face him, grasped the taller boy’s shoulder.

“Thank… Thank you, master.” Gray whispered through his tears.

In that moment, it was all that Gray could think about. He sobbed for what felt like an age as Natsu held his shoulder. He sucked in desperate air and turned to face the other. “We should leave. All of us.”

Although he was grateful for Natsu’s warmth, he felt a little weird about it. Especially with his heightened senses filling him with Natsu’s smell and presence. He lifted Lyon up with an arm slung over his shoulder.

“What about—”

“She’s not gone.” Gray stated as they walked. “Her ice became water and went into the sea. She hasn’t died… Merely… changed shape.”

* * *

X784 Edolas

Gray is certain that he has no desire to stay in this place. For one there are two Ezras which brings him to the logical conclusion that there are probably two of everyone. Although Ezra Knightwalker doesn’t seem too dissimilar from Ezra herself he’s not sure he wants to know what the others are like. As they charge down the hallway towards Wendy’s voice he explains to them the situation as he knows it and then directs Happy to go helped Gajeel. When he opens the door he’s never been happier for a separation. It’s bad enough that Carla has to see.

Natsu and Wendy lie against cold stone looking barely alive even though their bodies aren’t bruised or visibly broken. He feels his heart surge with those feelings that had started to emerge on Galuna Island. He rushed to Wendy and lifted her slightly as if to wake her but she was passed out. He gently eased her back down and moved to take Natsu from Lucy’s arms.

“Anyway, let’s feed them the X-Balls. It should help.” He tilted the pink-haired Dragon Slayer’s head up.

“Huh? What’s that?” Lucy asked as Gray pulled a bottle out of his pants.

“We go these from Gajeel. According to him, Mystogan gave them to him to allow him to use magic in this world.” The Ice Mage stated as he careful opened Natsu’s mouth and fed him one.

“Come to think of it… He did give me something to eat but he didn’t explain any of it!” Lucy replied as Natsu turned and began to cough.

Gray eased him back down onto the ground. He knew he needed to give one to Wendy but, it looked like it had hurt giving it to Natsu while he was unconscious. Whatever those people had done to them, Gray would make sure to return it back tenfold. When the coughing stopped Natsu surged up, pounding a fist into the ground.

“We gotta stop them!” The growl was a low and dangerous threat before fire surged out of his mouth in a large billow.

On the floor, Wendy began to cough after Carla fed her the X-Ball. “The royal army,” she gasped, “is going to use our friends like a bomb. The giant lacrima… The one that has the rest of Magnolia… they are going to launch it at Extalia and destroy them both!”

The swear that Gray released afterward, he barely remembered. If there was one thing that he had decided when he had become a Fairy Tail mage, it was that he’d die before he lost anyone else. And that was a goal he didn’t intend to lose now.

Natsu! Wait!” Lucy yelled but the excitable Dragon Slayer was already gone. Gray shook his head as he stood up.

“Let Natsu rampage. It’s what he does best.” He took a slow breath and released his suppression magic for the first time in front of people other than Natsu and Gramps. “Keep a secret for me, will you? I think I’m going to need to go all out for this.”

The two girls gasped at the transformation. The long tattoo crawling from his wrist up his arm and across his shoulder blades, the thick black ink standing out starkly on his pale skin. Lucy was distracted but the tattoo but Wendy immediately noticed the other things that had changed. Including his smell. Gray had always smelled cold and a little bland but now like the other members his smell was vibrant, like being lost in a snowy pine forest. His teeth had changed and he had fangs just like her.

“I don’t understand. If you are a Slayer than Anima shouldn’t have worked on you.” She stepped forward curiously.

“I’m a Slayer.” Gray acknowledged, “But not for dragons. We don’t have much time so long story short… I am an Ice Devil Slayer. To be honest, I’m a little nervous about using it so openly but I’d rather have all my senses. Our friends' lives are on the line.”

* * *

X784 Magnolia

Gray didn’t like the feeling in his chest. It was ugly and he knew it. He was so happy that Lisanna was back and yet, so incredibly jealous. Once again he had revealed his true self to some of his closest guildmates and friends and the aftermath was, well… nothing. He could feel detachment slowly curling around him as Natsu obsessed over Lisanna’s return, craving every second with her. Lucy had been spending more time with Loke and Levy while Ezra had seemed determined to steadfastly ignore them in favor of making preparations with Gramps for the S-Class Trials.

He knew that he should be training, that he could probably make it this year if he used his Devil Slayer Magic but the people who knew about it were a mere handful and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to reveal that much of himself to the rest of them. He scoffed at himself and decided to focus on missions instead.

The day of the S-Class Trials came quickly and Gray wasn’t surprised to find himself under consideration for the promotion. The other competitors did give him a little bit of pause. He didn’t want to seem arrogant but he knew his limits and there were certain members that he knew he could beat. Natsu would be a welcome challenge but fighting Gildarts or Ezra sounded like a losing proposition. 

When Loke opened his gate to accompany Gray, he almost laughed at Lucy’s surprise. He probably should have warned her when Loke’s true self had been revealed about their promise. Even though Loke might have been restored as a Celestial Spirit, he still had the ability to open his own gate and stay in the human world for extended periods that no other Spirit had managed to do. A few days for the trial would be nothing.

Even having Loke come around to do some training together didn’t seem to dampen his detachment. He decided in the end not to reveal his powers to the spirit and not use them during the trial. It seemed tedious and even though he had used them in Edolas. He didn’t know what made him feel so detached but he was sure it would eventually pass.


	4. Chapter 4

X784 December Tenroujima

It wasn't that Gray was afraid of any challenge that came his way. Exposed to fear at a young age and being forced to confront it again and again, either in dreams or real life has honed him into a person that faces his fears head-on. And yet something about facing Urtear welled up not just fear, but terror and disappointment. He could recap the few nights of listening to Ur talk about the dear child she had once had. How she'd like Gray and Lyon to never think that they were a replacement for her.

It pained him to think that Ur lamented for that daughter all that time and sought to protect other children in the way that she couldn't protect her daughter. The fear of her having strong magic was mixed into his desire to beat into her just how wrong she was. He would not allow his Master’s daughter to be stuck on a path of darkness.

As he followed her through the forest, he idly wondered about the pain that had gone through his body. It seemed that everyone here used strange and unusual magic. He hadn't planned to use his Devil Slayer Magic during the S-Trials and hadn't used them in the first battle but he'd have to use them going forward. And if they managed to destabilize the tree again, well wasting even small amounts of his magic power on casting and removing the suppression spell would just be stupid.

With his extra sensitive hearing and sense of smell, it was easy to track Ur from the smell of her perfume and the careless way that she walked. She definitely thought she was the most powerful being on this Island. When she reached her ally and explained what she really planned for Gray to do. Her companion, Meredy, seemed reluctant and nervous about Urtear’s scheme. He prepared to follow them furthered towards the beach when Urtear lifted her hand.

“Don't let this trash convince you to do anything else.”

Gray surged into action before he could think, pulling Juvia out of the way. He crouched before the enemy with his Juvia in his arms and his true face on display.

“What’s this?” Urtear laughed, “was my mother so desperate for another child that she adopted a demon?”

Gray glared up at her with a vicious smirk, “You're from the Lands of Isvan… surely you knew of the village of Devil Slayers… and I know a lot more about Ur’s will than you.”

“Don't presume to tell me about that woman!” Urtear growled flinging out time magic. “I offered you a kind and useful death since you were her precious student but now you will die as I see fit!”

“Try if you want, you ingrate of a daughter! I will teach you the lesson you never got from your mother!”

“You think you can defeat me?! I am the leader of the 7 Kin—”

With a low growl, Gray charged her. He didn't care too much for the airs and speeches that many of the enemies he fought choose to make. He ended that with a solid punch to her face sending her flying backward.

“Meredy! Take Zeref to the extraction point!” She ordered as she bounced to her feet.

“Juvia! Go after her!” Gray ordered as he stretched out his arm.

“Gray-Sama’s voice?!” The water wizard jumped up and proceeded to chase after the woman and the black wizard as Gray turned back to his opponent.

“I will beat you. For my guild and my Master. Using the magic that Ur loved!”

It was a tense battle, her magic could send his ice backward and forward in time. Even boosting it with his Devil Slayer Magic didn’t give him as much of an edge as he’d like. He cursed himself for not training with it more and decided to switch tactics. He couldn’t actually use his magic since he had no training but his increased durability did enable him to try more risky maneuvers. Making a blade of sharp ice, he cut himself along the waist and mixed his own blood with his ice.

“I will seal your darkness away!” He growled as he charged her, one arm covered in a bloody ice blade.

“What? I can’t change it?” Ur gasped as she used more physical attacks with her Time Magic not working.

“You can only manipulate non-living things, right?” He taunted as he used his senses to push her back harder. “Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance.”

His blades pushed into her viciously, pushing her back and sending her to the ground.

“Fine!” She shouted and shifted her body into a much more familiar stance. “I had learned this magic to destroy my mother but you’ll work just fine as a test! Ice-Make: Rosen Krone!”

Beautiful and deadly ice rose vines emerged as she viciously attacked him. Gray couldn’t even move as the familiar magic barreled into him, it tore into him viciously and set him flying. He collapsed a few feet away but laughed softly as he stood.

“I… I never thought I’d see this magic again. I guess you really are her daughter. The same blood, a similar Creation Magic.”

“Shut up!” Urtear shrieked in dismay. “Ice-Make: Bloom!”

This time the familiar magic didn’t catch the man off guard. He threw himself out of the way and then tackled Urtear. A dodge of her magic sword and he tacked her again, this time sending them both flying down a hill. As they both fell, they grappled and screamed at each other. Falling into the waters around Tenroujima. Gray swam back up immediately but Urtear was stunned and seemed lost within herself.

Gray looked down at the water. Ur had melted into the ocean. He wondered if she was hearing the thoughts of her late mother. Either way, he couldn’t risk her attacking again and as she snapped back into reality, Gray cast one last spell.

“Ice-Make: Gungnir!” The giant ice lance launched her out of the water and trapped her there so that she was forced to listen to him.

“You and Lyon seemed to be the same kind of idiots.” He laughed softly. “No child can be a replacement for another. She longed for you every day. To be honest, she didn’t talk about you much. It hurt her so much, but when she did... She talked about your infinite possibilities, about how you were Ur’s tear. If you decide to continue bearing that name, then you can’t deny her love for you.”

* * *

X784 Tenroujima

Even with his enhanced durability, Gray had probably cut himself a bit too deeply. Even with the makeshift tie of his shirt around his waist he wasn’t fairing too well as he tried to find the others. He could feel the wound in his side far too acutely. Darkness was beginning to edge around his vision. He was slipping listlessly to the side when arms caught him. His eyes burst open, nervous about who might have found him in his true form.

“Are you all right?” The uplifting voice greeted him.

“Ezra?” He looked up at her and sighed. “I’m always being saved by somebody aren’t I?”

“As am I.” She stated as she smiled down at him.

“You guys too?” He wondered as he looked up and saw the rest of his team, Lucy, Natsu and Wendy.

“Same with me!” Natsu grinned as he reached out to Gray. “Are you ready to fight using your true power?”

“They didn’t just offend me,” Gray stated, “This is the burial of the first Master. If we don’t go all out now then when would we?”

“Let’s do this!” Lucy shouted.

* * *

X791 Fairy Tail Guild

It felt weird at first to show up without suppression magic on. In this new age of magic they had been gone for seven years as their magic most definitely hadn’t kept up when they had been suspended in time. He was forever grateful to First Master Mavis and the magic itself but he wasn’t sure if he felt Natsu’s enthusiasm to climb to the top again. Also it felt strange trying to get use to his senses even outside of battle, it would take a lot of training.

“I still don’t get it.” Gajeel stated as he dropped down in front of Gray. Juvia was beside him and the rest of his usually team within Fairy Tail were near by. “What was the point of suppression magic? I couldn’t even smell this hiding.”

Gray laughed softly and took a drink of his beer. “You are thinking of suppression magic made by someone who isn’t a slayer. If I remember what was in the books correctly, when trading with other villages we used suppression magic so we wouldn’t scare them. Around 10 people in my village were Devil Slayers.”

“And yet…?” Gajeel didn’t finish his question but Gray shook his head. While the memory hurt the reason why wasn’t too bad to talk about.

“The demons from the book of Zeref were very different.” He shrugged and then looked around noticed that the other Slayers were watching them. “You three weren’t just trained by Dragons. You were mostly like trained by the strongest. Natsu told me that Igneel was the Fire Dragon King. That blessing combined with your own strength is the combination that makes you powerful. If there were many Dragon Slayers there would be weaker ones.”

“So…”

“The strongest Devil Slayer had passed away long before Deliora had attacked, the inheritor was me and there was no way I could have fought him at eight years old. And without completing the ritual. Even now I’m not trained.”

“And that is why we have to go training!” Natsu cut in. “That and the Grand Magic Games! Right Gramps!”

There was a collective groan from the rest of Fairy Tail. While they believed that their strongest mages were truly powerful. The Grand Magic Games would put them up against the strongest guilds in Fiore and at the level they were now it would be extremely difficult.

“Plus the Games are three months away.” Lucy stated with confidence. “We’ll be able to train ourselves up to par in no time!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... have not decided if I can actually write fight scenes. I think I used to be good at them. Either way, I enjoyed this part and once again... I love lore.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welp, time for some more lore. Cause I love some lore!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know this is late but hear me out: large typhoon.
> 
> I was safe but ho shit the anxiety was strong with this one. Anyways, let’s get into it!

X784 City of Crocus: Battlefield

This was a battlefield, unlike anything Gray had ever seen before. The closest he could compare it to was when Delioria had attacked his village. He had placed his faith in the others, in the Dragon Slayers. And more importantly, as he always did, in Natsu.

He fought the Dragonlings alongside Lyon. A matchup that always sparked nostalgia inside him. He surveyed the battlefield quickly and noticed Meredy and Juvia talking as if they weren’t in the middle of a battle. With a curse, he dove at them and shoved them to the ground. He rolled to the side and crouched.

“Don’t let your guard down! This is a battlefield!” Lyon growled at them.

“I’m sorry.” Meredy whispered but Juvia was lost in her own world.

“Gray-sama touched Juvia’s bottom!” She excitedly exclaimed as the Devil Slayer rolled his eyes.

He stood up slowly, attempting to keep his full senses open. There were no dragonlings near them at the moment and he took the time to look at Juvia, who was still in her daydreaming state.

“Juvia…” He shook his head. “There’s something I should probably tell you.”

“What could it be?” She had hearts in her eyes and he sighed, this was a bad idea and a bad time. He turned back towards the battlefield. 

“It’s not that important, but…”

“It may be all-important to Juvia!” She gasped as she turned him back around to face her. The hope in her eyes seemed to grow exponentially. Even though it was easy for outsiders to see that it was defiantly not the situation she thought it was.

“JUVIA!” Lyon’s voice broke the moment as a blaze of dragon magic came at them.

Without thinking, Gray slammed into her. He hit her harder then he meant to but the surprise was mostly on him as the beam went right through his left pectoral. He could only stare in surprised pain, falling backward when more beams came at him. Each one felt worse than the last. It wasn’t the pain that dragged him down but the sheer knowledge that he could do nothing. His senses screaming at him to move, to do something. Near him Juvia screamed, eyes wide and upset and he fell forward blood spilling from his mouth. As if to make things worse, another beam hit him in the head and sent him flying backward.

“GRAY!” Juvia’s scream followed him into blessed darkness.

* * *

X77?

“Papa… why do you have sharp teeth but Mama and I don’t?” Gray asked quietly as he sat with his father by a lake. It was a mild day for summer, the ice on the lake was thinner then usual and a good day for casual fishing. The older Fullbuster smiled at his son and sat down next to him.

“Because of my inheritance. I’m sure your mother has told you several times about the Demon Skadi and how she and members of her kin decided to come and help our people survive against the cold terrors of The Long Winter.”

“Yep!” Gray cheered. “Great Gramma Sapphire was the last to inherit Skadi!”

“Yep, the most powerful and our family patron.” Sliver tugged on his son’s hair. “Those who have come into their full inheritance have the sharp teeth and the ears.” The man gestured to his ears and then smiled down at his son. “Your mother was blessed in other ways.”

Gray nodded empahtically. “She is definitely more powerful than you, old man.”

“Why you little!” Silver scooped his son off the ground and lifted him so they were face to face. He tried to look annoyed but it failed miserably and he hugged his son closer. “She is, but let’s keep that secret between you and me. If she knows that she’s more powerful she won’t let me protect her anymore.”

Gray laughed in delight and tugged on his father’s hair as he tried to scramble out of his hands and onto his shoulders. They were supposed to be fishing but Gray loved talking about the mythology and history of their power. It made Silver hopeful that his Devil Spirit would be one of knowledge like Shaman Cortez.

“One day Gray, when you are ready, your guide will come to you. I can’t wait to see what kind of demon will come to you.” He told the boy as they stared out over the bright expanse of snowy fields and lakes.

* * *

X784 City of Crocus: Battlefield

_“I must admit that I’m a little disappointed that this is the time you reach out to me.” The voice was dark and feminine, someone Gray had never met before._

_“What?”_

_“You are dead child.” The voiceless woman spoke. “And never once did you fully embrace your power.”_

_“I never went through the ritual!” Gray protested but the voice laughed._

_“You most certainly did. You just don’t remember. As your people… our people lay dying… Your mother called out to _me_, the strongest soul to protect her son. And now you are the only one left from that village and I am the only one left from that pact…And now even that is gone.”_

_“No… no—”_

Gray jerked and suddenly he was standing. He shoved Juvia and Meredy down into the dirt and turned to face Lyon as he screamed at the two.He gasped as he was hit by a sudden pain in his chest. A remembrance of pain that spread through all of his body. The four of them all shook at the traumatic imagery and emotions that went through them.

“I…I’m gonna get killed?” Gray asked as he stared down at his own hands.

“It was a dream?” Meredy spoke quietly as Juvia stood up.

“That was... That was too creepy. A vision of my own death out of nowhere.” Gray muttered feeling unsettled.

“Smaller dragons appeared over here.” Meredy spoke as she turned towards the secondary point of that awful vision.

“They’re actually there?!” Lyon shouted in response.

Gray being the fastest of the group unleashed his Ice Magic but this was different from before, purplish ice burst out and instantly froze the dragons instead of his usual pure white.

“What’s going on?!” Lyon yelled out in surprise.

“Did someone tell us this was going to happen?” Gray wondered out loud as he stared at the strange color. He had never tired to undergo the ritual but had his pact saved his life?

* * *

X784 Magnolia: Gray’s apartment

After the grand banquet and returning home, Gray had thought he would be safe from the nightmares. Not one had happened in the time it had taken them to return to Fairy Tail. Even in his grief over Urtear’s change, he had managed to smile when they unveiled the trophy and found out about the town had restored their guildhall. In the end, it was probably that his mind had simply been to busy with everything else. Finally for what felt like the first time in ages he was sleeping in his own bed.

Only to wake up a handful of hours later drenched in sweat. He needed an outlet or at least a way to stop thinking. With a quiet sigh he leaned forward. There was probably a sleeping draught somewhere in his bathroom but the thought of being trapped in a nightmare loop of dying over and over again didn’t sound particularly inspiring.

“Wait…” he thought out loud. Something had happened after he had died. A voice or a specter. It had been something of value.

He took a few slow deep breaths. He didn’t want to die but surely he could try to connect and find that voice that had been inside of him.

“Took you long enough child.” Almost immediately an apparition in the shape of a woman appeared before him, mirroring his stance. “I thought you had forgotten the teachings of our people.”

Gray felt something tighten in his chest at her words. No one from his village had survived. There hadn’t even been any dumb luck refugees that had been out of the village for that week since it was close to the Devil Pact Festival. He scrunched his face up and then looked away.

“Am… Am I your inheritor?” He forced through his teeth. “No offense but I had hoped for Fenrir since my old man passed.”

A surprisingly soft hand for a shadow figure touched his chin and brought his face up. “Unfortunately faithful Fenrir passed with your father. The survival of my clan and your village were completely intertwined. With no one to pass on to… Fenrir is gone. Only you and I are left. Your mother called out to me and saved my life just as she saved yours.”

Gray swallowed hard, it had been true that his mother was a Devil Caller. An important spiritual role but he hadn’t really thought about it since after he’d grown older. Everything about his village and his culture had died. It had been a comfort at times to read the books that Ur had taken from the village for him but it wasn’t information he saw use in.

“I am Skadi the Huntress and the originator of the Demon Pact. My last inheritor was your great grandmother… Will you inherit that power? Boosting your own innate magic will only limit your growth.”

Gray clenched his teeth. She was right and he knew it but he was still so angry. Why hadn’t the demon approached him earlier? Where had the magic been when he’d needed it in Edolas or against the dragons?!

“Learning Devil Magic without the proper ritual is useless and also leads to madness.” Skadi answered his questions as if they were spoken out loud. “And your own grief caused your refusal to call me. It will still take you several months to fully master it. For this you and I will merge into one being. I will be gone. And as the last of our people when you pass so will I.”

Gray swallowed hard, feeling something heavy in his stomach at those words. He looked down at the thick tattoo on his arm and then up at her.

“I’ll do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this Saturday we will be back to our usual scheduling.


	6. Chapter 6

X791 Fairy Tail Guild

When Makarov had been so insistent that Gray go on this mission with Natsu because one of the Ten Saint Wizards ordered it he had been skeptical. Not because of the mission asking for them by name and not even because of who asked. Makarov was one of those wizards. Even if this Warred Sequen was one of the Four Emperors of Ishgal. Something in Makarov’s reaction still bugged him.

Not that that was the only problem Gray was facing. The other problem was Natsu. In Gray’s life, he could always trace his roots back to three places. His parents, Ur and Natsu. They weren’t just the people who had the biggest impact on him, they were also his touchstones. When he was worried about what he should do, he thought about his parents. When he worried about being good enough he thought of Ur. When he thought of becoming stronger, he went to Natsu. It was the way of his world.

And it was being threatened by his own stupid heart. He had loved Natsu Dragneel for nearly all of his life it had seemed. Almost as if he had been born for him, which was downright stupid. Gray wasn’t prone to those kind of Juvia-like fantasies but after the Grand Magic Games, after dying, his mind couldn’t wrap itself around what his heart was saying. And it was saying it loudly.

He had realized during the quiet nights alone dealing with the trauma and nightmares that Natsu was more than just a touchstone. He found himself longing for the touches they shared. A fist bump here, arms around each other's shoulders in celebration. Natsu grasping at him for support after a particularly bad bought of motion sickness. Gray wanted more. He wanted to hold Natsu’s hand, he wanted to hold Natsu in general. And reciprocation sounded heavenly. All of which he fiercely tamped down.

Sometimes it was easy, that stupid mission they’d went on, Natsu had infuriated him. It wasn’t even a hard mission, they didn’t cause any damage but their emotions and rivalry had hit a point that problem that probably didn’t sense to anyone but themselves. They fought for days, grappling without magic and without care. Gray didn’t want to admit it, but he was purely the cause of that fight. He had pushed Natsu in his own frustration with himself and had taken it out on the Dragon Slayer and eventually they had both attacked Ezra and that defiantly hadn’t ended well.

And now here they were, being called about by an Emperor of Ishgal and Gray was still so angry and frustrated. At himself, at Natsu, and at himself for caring so deeply about the other wizard. He had lied to himself for years about how he had felt, he realized. He loved Natsu so much it hurt and he was angry at himself for not realizing it. And angry at Natsu just for the added insult of it all.

* * *

X791 The Sun Village

The sight of the ice covering the village was both strange and nostalgic. As they walked further in to look for signs of life but there seemed to be none. And then it struck them all as one, it was a village of giants. Gray stared up and felt sweat break out on the back of his next. A large figure embraced in ice and his mind immediately went to Delioria. He shifted back a bit, closer to the others and closer to Natsu’s heat.

“Are you okay?” Lucy asked guilty and he nodded weakly. He would be fine, he just needed a moment to regain his bearings. 

“It's just ice! I should be able to melt it!” Natsu moved forward and started raising his body temperature but there was no change. After a while, the Dragon Slayer tired himself out from two much output and no reward. Natsu slumped down and sighed. How was there ice that he couldn’t melt?

Gray moved towards another figure and laid his hands on them and then jerked his hands away. He stared down at his hands in surprise and then laid them back on.

“It’s familiar…” He whispered as he tried to use his magic on it.

_I feel like I should know this ice._ The soft voice echoed through his mind and there was an awareness that made it feel familiar. He pulled back and looked at the others.

“This is Devil Slayer Ice.” He pressed his magic into it but there was no change. He had thought that merely pressing Skadi’s will into it would be enough but there was no response.

“Someone from your village?” Erza moved to study the ice alongside him as she laid a hand on his shoulder in support.

“No, Skadi told me that all the pacts from my village are gone. He shifted around to face the others. “There are other ways to become a Devil Slayer but they used strong wild magic. It’ll take a while to unravel.”

* * *

X791 The Ice Forest

When Gray had started the fight, he had expected it to be as usual. The man seemed strong but rather dumb. He was about to take a fighting stance when something changed within him and he was shrinking until he was smaller, smaller than when he’d arrived at the guild. He looked up at his enemy.

Deliora stood tall before him, ready to rage. The scream welled up in Gray’s throat before he knew what was happening. He found himself trembling as his eyes frantic searched for his parents. He tried to back up but the monster was too fast for him and lifted Gray up by his head.

“There is a world... that no one should ever step foot in. The world of the dead! And yet now, here you are standing at the gate.” The monster stated but something snapped inside of Gray.

“Deliora is gone… Gray.” It was surprising to hear Urtear’s voice in his mind but he was no less grateful.

“You’ve made a mistake underestimating an ice wizard.” He hissed.

“The law of regression doesn’t make you younger. It weakens everything about you. Your magic, your speed, everything.”

“So what you are telling me is that you are too weak to take on an opponent at full strength? Noted.” Gray taunted before he launched back into battle.

* * *

X791 Sun Village

Gray pressed his hands onto the frozen flame and forced his magic into it. In the ambient air, he could feel Natsu’s magic as he fought the demon. He pressed his magic harder and forced the magic to dissipate. He expected as the magic disappeared for a raging fire to be seen. Instead, there was nothing. He felt something inside of him crack. Thankfully Wendy spoke and brought him from the mess that his mind was in.

He was glad he could compartmentalize, he could barely focus as Natsu and Wendy worked to revive the Eternal Flame and when it was over he felt himself being brought back to the present by the heat of the flame.

“Atlas Flame?” Wendy gasped.

“Uncle!” Natsu smiled brightly at the flaming dragon.

“Igneel’s son.” The Dragon answered brightly and he looked upon the others. “You have many great friends among you.”

Gray felt a little nervous as the dragon’s eyes seemed to linger on him more than the others. They watched as the dragon paused and looked over his village.

“One man did this. A demon killer.” He took a slow breath. “A case of mistaken identity I guess. The demon was from the same clan as you.”

“Impossible!” Gray rasped but the dragon shook his head quietly. “All those in my clan are gone.”

“But it was.” Atlas Flame stated. “I’m sorry that I cannot tell you more. And I’m sorry that I cannot spend more time with you Igneel’s son. I… I have been gone for many years now. But alas I can save my people.”

The warmth that rolled over them and the village was amazing. During the Grand Magic Games, they had had a chance to feel how fearsome dragon magic could be. This was so much different then Lucy, Gray, and Ezra had felt then. It made them understood a bit more about why the Dragon Slayers talked about them so fondly.

As the giants came back alive Gray found himself looking to his friends and to the dragons. They would be all right, he was sure of it.

* * *

Gray sat on the outskirts of the village. They had drunk late into the night and while the others had turned into bed he made his way out to look at the stares. He knew that if he tried to sleep tonight he would have nightmares. As he leaned back to look up into the sky, he smelled Natsu approaching.

_Natsu approached Gray slowly and felt a smile spread across his face. In the moonlight, Gray was so beautiful. This was his mate. At some point, he would have to speak with the other so they could do this together. Sit together under the stars and hear his mate’s heartbeat._

“You were snoring harder than anyone else flame brain.”

“You’re smell faded, sometimes it’s hard to sleep out on a job when all my people aren’t nearby.” Natsu admitted as he moved to sit beside him.

“All your people huh?” Gray asked quietly, before all this, before Lucy they had had a very adversarial relationship and now he wasn’t sure. Erza always said they were close so maybe he had been mistaking it all.

“I guess I understand a little.” The older boy murmured as he leaned back, “Now that I no longer suppress my senses, I’ve been smelling so many new smells. The sensory overload was so bad at first but now I’m not sure of why I held back so long.”

“At sixteen you were supposed to stop suppressing.” Natsu turned to look at him the question left that was still unspoken between them.

“I was scared and depressed. Galuna Island helped even if I still thought my magic wasn’t good but after Tenroujima… After talking to Urtear I realized I was scared. What if I called my demon and it wasn’t there?”

“Wait… you talked to an actual demon?” Natsu’s eyes lit up and the other laughed.

“I told you this all years ago. Devil Slayer Magic is dangerous. There are many ways to learn but if you learn the wrong way the magic will overwhelm you and drive you crazy. My ancestors made a pact with a tribe of demons who were dying out. They lived through us and allowed us to use the magic without danger. At the Grand Magic Games… When I… died.” It was still so hard to talk about that. “My demon came to me and we fulfill the pack between our people.” Gray lifted his arm to look at what he could see of the tattoo. “In the baths, I use to be so envious of my dad’s tattoo. It stretched across both arms and down his back. He was so strong.”

“Are all the tattoos meant to be that big?” Natsu asked in surprise as he sat down close to the other and looked up at the sky.

“It really depends on the pact and the demon. Fenrir was a very strong and loyal demon. Mine is probably as big as it will get. At least I think so. I mean I might still grow in power since I’m still learning but the tattoo is a symbol of the pact not the amount of power.” He explained quietly and leaned his head back to look up at the sky.

“Ice Princess…” Natsu spoke quietly, he itched to spill his secrets and instead tamped down on it. “If you’d like… we could sit out here?”

Gray turned to look at him in surprise. Gray knew that he had his own issues to deal with but he hadn’t expected Natsu to volunteer to sit out here with him as he avoided his own nightmares. Then he thought about what Natsu had said about being able to smell ‘his people.’

“Today was just really hard Natsu. I’ll be fine.” He explained quietly as he turned to look at him. “Honest.”

“I’m not here to make sure you are okay or keep you from doing something stupid. I’m here because I want to be.”

“It’s the smell isn’t it?” Gray asked quietly and Natsu started in surprise.

“What do you mean smell?” He scratched at his nose and looked away. Gray’s hand covered his but didn’t actually take it.

“You smell like mine but I can’t right now Natsu.” He squeezed his hand. “I—”

Natsu squeezed back and Gray stopped talking. The silence that stretched between them was surprisingly comfortable and he gently tugged his hand up and covered it with both of his.

“I’m glad you feel it too.” He whispered, Gray’s hands were slightly larger than his. It was weird to think about the fact that Gray was slightly taller, and other ways that they would try to compete with each other that now all felt natural and good. “To be honest snowflake I don’t know if I’m ready either. It’s a lot, right? For so long it’s been enough just to be near you.”

Gray nodded in return and in relief. What had happened with Doriate had brought things too close and it made him fear that loving Natsu could get the Dragon Slayer killed. He couldn’t imagine being together right now, he couldn’t start a relationship when he felt like this.

“You and I will be mates one day.” Natsu stated as he released Gray’s hand and leaned back and looked back up into the beautiful night. “And I will wait forever for you.”

“You flaming idiot.” Gray chuckled. “I’ll wait for you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is not quite time... but it is soooo close


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welp time to put a shine on Tartaros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... all the warnings for Tartaros are here~ Just in case you were wondering...

X791 Somewhere Near Magnolia

It is sparking up his spine as he fights what might be the worst enemy of his life. Before him is Silver Fullbuster, a man that should be _dead_ but Gray would recognize that face, that magic anywhere. He panted as he was thrown through the air, scrambling back to his feet. He had no idea what these demons had done to his father but he was sincerely glad that it wasn’t his mother. He didn’t want to know what kind of person he’d turn into if he had to fight his mother to the death.

With a final devastating blow, shoving a metal ball through his father’s torso, the other finally went down, finally admitted to who he truly was. And honestly Gray was not relieved. It was not knowledge that made him feel better. As his father pleaded for his own life to be ended, as he talked about Mika and finally resting Gray for the first time during the fight used only his Ice Make magic. The white ice sword felt comforting in his hand but he never lifted it.

He wanted, he desperately wanted to grant his father’s wish. After all, it wasn’t life that Silver had. He was merely a walking corpse that served a devious necromancer but it was still his father’s face. His father’s soul before him. He threw his head back as tears coursed down his face. He couldn’t do it. He was too young for so much loss and so much pain. It was tearing him apart.

“Come here Gray.” Silver stood up slowly and pulled his son to him. “Just rest here a moment.”

He pressed into his father and sobbed out all the pain, spoke of all the things that he had wanted and lost. Things he hadn’t even shared with Natsu and Erza. It felt like agony to pour all of the feelings he had been hiding out but Silver took it all and more.

“Your mother and I have always been proud of you.” Silver murmured as he kissed the side of the shorter man’s head. “And Skadi came to you. You carry the best of our people. You are the best of our people.”

“B-but I…”

“All a father ever wishes… is for his children to grow and become who they are. You are so good Gray.” Silver ruffled his hair childishly and tried for a devious smirk. “If I had known though I would have kept your mate permanently frozen.”

“Old man!” Gray stated exasperated but little did he know that it was merely his father trying to soften the blow of what was to come. One of Gray’s friends was very susceptible to telepathy and was currently fighting Keyes. It would all be over soon.

“I have one final gift for you.” He squeezed Gray tighter. “Fenrir didn’t die. Some of the remaining demons sought to watch over our village until they faded. Fenrir followed me when I was taken by Keyes. I want to pass him on to you.”

“Then the other demons?” Gray asked quietly but the older man shook his head. 

“I would go back to the village often to try and give them some of my power to survive but they were stubborn and didn’t want to leave. A loyal stock. Just like us Fullbusters. God you grew into such a handsome man. I’m a little jealous.” Silver could feel himself fading. Keyes had been defeated. “I’ll tell your mother everything.”

“You had better old man.” Gray scrubbed the tears from his face. “You’d better.”

The young man turned away from the fading corpse of his father. As he walked his tattoo expanded again. Now he had a truly massive tattoo. It wrapped around both his wrists and crawled up to stretch across his shoulder blades with sharp arcs. It was intense but he wore it with pride. He could feel Fenrir settling in next to Skadi.

He could feel his power increase. He wondered if this put him back on level with Natsu. The other had been gradually getting more powerful than Gray. Mostly though eating strange magics and powering through his emotions. Gray had never had the raw magic power that Natsu had had though they were matched in other ways.

“Your father and I had one very important task.” Fenrir spoke to him as he settled. “The Book of E.N.D. It is Zeref’s greatest demon and we have to stop it.”

“Then we will.”

* * *

When Gray appeared out of the nothingness, Natsu was fully surprised. He had been fighting Mard Geer along with Rogue and Sting to almost no effect. For the most part the other two Dragon Slayers were no match for the demon and Natsu’s added power wasn’t doing much to change the tides. As Mard Geer sent out another intensely strong attack, _Prison Flower_, Natsu prepared for the worst.

Instead the attack and much of the area around them froze solid. Natsu started and wondered for a dreaded second if Silver had won. If Gray had been defeated but then the smell hit him just as his missing scarf fell around his neck.

“Don’t go losing something so important Flame Brain.” The words were familiar and easy going but Gray’s face was grim. Natsu was struck by his Devil Slayer tattoo. Once it had spanned from his left wrist up and across his shoulder blades. Now it crossed his back and went down to his right wrist, the same color as his guild mark.

“My… what is this?” Mard Geer asked quietly as he looked down at his own frozen arm in surprise. “Isn’t this Silver’s power?”

“It’s the magic that my father was always planning to stop you with!” Gray hissed he sent out another strong attack.

“Is this some new magic that Gray has?” Rogue asked as he and Sting stared on at them but Gray just shook his head.

“An increase. Enough to take on this guy.” The Devil Slayer replied as he launched a large amount of ice magic at the demon.

Instead to everyone’s surprise the ice around the Prison Flower evaporated and it opened to reveal a surprising sight. Jiemma, no longer human, emerged from the flower and approached his former guild mates.

“Take care of them servant.” Mard Geer stated as he leaned back.

“I am no servant of anyone!” The demon turned to look at him. “Once I have defeated these ingrates you will be next. I will be the most powerful!”

“It’s our duty to take Jiemma, you two get rid of Mard Geer!” Sting stated as he and Rogue prepare to attack together.

“Can do.” Natsu stated with a grim smile.

“Really?” Mard Geer stated as he watched Jiemma fly at the twin dragons. “Still unable to control his emotions. And you two… a dragon of fire and a devil of ice do you really think you can take me on? I’m Mard Geer Tartaros the most power demon before E.N.D. And this will be your final battle.”

“I swear on Fairy Tail that we will win this battle. For our pride, our guild and Magnolia.” Natsu growled before he and Gray launched at him.

It was an amazingly fearsome battle as Mard Geer managed to launch extreme attacks at them. They twisted and turned around attacks, combining their attacks together in ways they hadn’t before. With both their heightened senses and the knowledge of fighting together before it was easy to come up with new combinations. Even borrowing a move from Lyon to hide Natsu inside Gungnir so that he could fire off an attack at point blank range at the demon.

The magic that flushed around them was dark and ominous. Something that neither mage had felt before. Gray backed up a bit as both he and the Natsu braced themselves for whatever _Momento Mori_ was about to be. As it rose up around them Gray heard one of his demons yell.

“_We know the curse._” Fenrir’s urgency was greatly appreciated,“_We can stop it.”_

In the widening gap, Gray followed his demon’s lead and brought all of the magic of the two demons combined forward. He absorbed the curse, pulling every last bit of it away from Natsu. He wouldn’t let it harm his best friend, his _mate._

When the magic begin to die down, Mard Geer sat on his throne with a relaxed face, it had taken more magic than he thought, but that whelp of Silver’s had had more magic power than he’d thought. The tiny smile slipped off his face as the dissipating magic revealed both his enemies standing. The Dragon Slayer looked no different than before but the Devil Slayer looked very different. The interaction with the dangerous curse had half of Gray’s body demonized. His entire right side was black and his right eye had turned purple. Even though he stood strong, every muscle quivered.

With soft gasps he spoke. “I entrust the future to Natsu.”

“Gray?” Natsu whispered softly, not even daring to move towards his friend. The other didn’t even seem to be breathing anymore. He repeated the name louder and then in a scream as it appeared the other had died absorbing that curse for him. 

Anger that Natsu rarely felt filled him and he growled the other’s name. He and Gray had promised each other… Their future, one day being mates. All the beautiful things that were meant to happen in their future. All that hope and desire fueled his rage. His fire flared brighter and deeper as red scales began to stretch across his skin. Natsu had entered Dragon Force.

Natsu pooled all of the power that he had left and attacked the demon with everything he had. He pressed attack after attack on to the demon, not allowing for a single chance to fight back. It was the most brutal he had been in a long time as he forced his opponent in to the air and slammed attack after attack into him until his magic power depleted.

“I’m completely out of magic power.” Natsu laughed softly as Mard Geer gripped him by the collar and surged towards the ground, his intentions clear. “But I believe too. GRAY!”

The demon looked back to where the dead Devil Slayer should be only to see him standing. He seemed a little weak but he was standing tall again. It hit the powerful demon in the face, his curse hadn’t stopped the Devil Slayer and he had let his guard down.

“Ice Devil’s Zeroth Destruction Bow.” Gray lifted up his hands and a beautiful bow made of ice appeared. On it formed an arrow of pure Devil Slayer ice magic and with his unerring level of accuracy Gray let it fly.

The arrow hit the demon solidly through the abdomen and the magic sent jagged pulses of ice into his body as he jerked until the demon itself felt rung out. Natsu gasped as he was released and hit the ground. As Natsu pulled himself to his feet, soft words of congratulations passed between the two. Gray swallowed hard as their words passed by as he looked at the demon that was now near death. 

“I still have more to do. My father’s will was to destroy the book of E.N.D.” Gray spoke softly as he moved towards Mard Geer but Natsu grabbed his arm.

“I can’t let you do that.” The Dragon Slayer stated fiercely. “Igneel needs that book.”

“It's the creator of all these demons Natsu!” Gray shouted in his face as if to make Natsu understand as he pulled away and finally took the book from the demon.

“There is something more to that book than the other demons Gray. At least let Igneel examine it before it’s destroyed. I’m sure he’ll explain it. Please just wait a little longer.” Natsu spoke as he gripped his shoulders. “Please.”

Gray stared into Natsu’s eyes longer than was wise considering the battles still waging around them. He felt torn between his two allegiances but Natsu is right, destroying the book immediately or an hour later is not a big deal but as he relents he feels his magic being sapped and staggers into the other. As the two stagger the demon lifts his head up with a self satisfied smile.

“Face is now in operation. All the magic will be sapped from this continent and that’s only the beginning! E.N.D. will awaken and finally we will fulfill our purpose.”

As Natsu and Gray clung to each other, Natsu let out a yell of frustration. All their work, it couldn’t go this way. They were both blasted with a shockwave of energy as Acnologia’s large body fell from the sky. Almost as if they had forgotten about the battle of dragons about them. Igneel slammed down into the dragon, pinning him by the throat.

“If you thought I wasn’t prepared for your treachery you are wrong.” The mighty dragon proclaimed before launching into a speech about what he and the other dragons had been working on all this time.

Mard Geer could only stare on helplessly as the data came in. All the Face bombs on the continent were quickly being destroyed, the dragons using their amazing speed completely destroyed Face before it could do any serious damage.

Gray smiled thinly, he had been terrorized by memories of the dragons from the Grand Magic Games but this were different. It wasn’t that they didn’t have terrifying magic, Igneel was going toe to toe with the black dragon, it was their spirit. It was familiar and welcoming. Reminding him of the Dragon Slayers.

Natsu called out to Igneel, demanding more answers and the King of Dragons tried to explain as much as he could but Acnologia stirred beneath him, bring him back into their fierce battle. As the two dragons launched into the sky, Igneel ordered Natsu once again to take the Book of E.N.D. As he dashed after the other dragon.

Natsu looked to Gray again ready to plead his case. Sometime during the disturbance with the dragons crashing, Gray had dropped the book but he picked it up again, his face determined and grim. Just a little longer, Natsu thought as he moved towards him but the the book was pulled from Gray’s hand almost immediately.

“My, my… I didn’t think others would fight so hard over my precious book.” Zeref the Black Wizard spoke as he took the book into his hand. “You put up a worthy effort Mard Geer, but now is your time to rest.”

Zeref turned the demon back into a book and burned it before the demon could even plead his case. The others stare at him in shocked outrage. As the dark mage moves around, seemingly talking to himself the others find they don’t even have the ability to fight him. All of their magics are mostly depleted and all they can do is listen.

“With Acnologia here… I wonder what will happen? Will history end again or will a miracle happen?” And with those words the dark wizard took his leave.

In the air the battle comes to a finish in a decisive blow. Igneel tore off Acnologia’s arm but the Fire Dragon King suffers far worse damage. The black dragon managed to completely rip through his left side.

Gray feels Natsu jerk beside him. He clutches the Dragon Slayer to him as he goes into shock. The black dragon than rears into a breath attack taking Igneel’s life right before his son’s eyes. Natsu rips out of Gray’s arms screaming in terror. The Devil Slayer tries to capture him but Natsu takes off at a run for his father’s body and Gray stopped himself from following.

Natsu needed this time alone.

* * *

Gray listened with almost a sense of detachment as the remaining four dragons explained that they weren’t even really alive. It sounds noble and he was glad that they had helped the dragon slayers to remain human, had given him a chance to meet Natsu. And yet to understand that no matter what, he’d have never been able to save Natsu from this pain was a prick into his heart that he wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with considering his own hurts.

For pain like this, both he and Natsu preferred to be alone. And yet here they were with some of their deepest pains put on display for the rest of the guild, probably even the whole of Magnolia to see.

* * *

“Natsu, Natsu… What are you doing crying over an old dragon.” Igneel’s voice teased him gently.

“Dad…” Natsu whimpered softly. “I told everyone I would find you. I-I have so much to tell you.”

“I was never away from you Natsu.” Igneel replied softly. “You have found a guild worthy of everything. You’ve grown so much. Even found your mate.”

“Dad…” Natsu whimpered unable to really say more, he had never felt pain like this before. He thought briefly of Ezra, Gray and Lucy, the losses they had felt. Had it hurt like this?

“Don’t forget what I told you Natsu. What should you do?”

Natsu trembled and released another sob. There was no time. He had so much to say, to do and share. It didn’t matter that Igneel had seen it all. He wanted to say it, to curl in his father’s arms and feel that connection again.

“Come on Natsu. Don’t shed tears. What did I teach you?”

“Yeah, yeah I remember.” Natsu spoke quietly as he slowly stood up.

“So do it. Stand up.”

“Okay.”

“I am with you now and always. Now show me more of how you’ve grown. Show me the way you live your life.”

“I will live on! I will become stronger! And I’m gonna grind Acnologia’s ass into dragon dust!” Natsu yelled.

“That’s my boy. Speak of your future.”

“I’m going to protect my guild, my family. I’m going to love and care for Gray.” He pressed a hand to his chest over his heart. “I will never forget the things you’ve taught me.”

“And that will become your will to live.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realize that I head canon whenever Natsu feels overwhelmingly bad emotions he shouts affirmations. The yelling might not but good, but hey affirmations are helpful!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m pretty sure I edited this last week but if there seems to be any big errors or typos let me know...

X791 Magnolia

Gray is not sure what he feels when he realizes that Natsu has left without telling him. Part of him wants to be angry and rage. His mate, _mate_, left without telling him but then again if Natsu had said something Gray isn’t sure of who he would respond.

And then it got worse. Fairy Tail disbanded. He wasn’t sure what Gramps was thinking when he did such a thing but Gray knew that he would keep his ears open for the rival. After all, Fairy Tail wasn’t just a guild. It was also family.

Not too soon after disbandment, Gray finds that he can’t find the desire to stay in Magnolia. It’s not exactly wanderlust but it doesn’t feel right to stay. He considers, in the back of his mind, going out and finding Natsu but decides against it. Natsu had his reasons for leaving and Gray is still to raw inside to confront Natsu about it.

The unfortunate side effect of waiting to leave is that Juvia follows him.

* * *

X791 Amefurashi Village (Pre-rain)

Gray is positively sure he is going mad. He is not sure what does it at first but Fenrir is restless under his skin and Skaldi can’t seem to calm him down. The wolf has always express his desire for vengeance against E.N.D. more that anything else but the ice mage doesn’t have the hubris to think that he can take on the Black Wizard all by himself.

Instead he focuses on training. One day, his guild will reform. And they will take on the Black Wizard and E.N.D. together. It is as clear in Gray’s mind as the rise and fall of the sun. He just needs to make sure that his skills are on par with theirs.

Which circles him back around to his current concerns. Training with Juvia is actually kind of fun. She is dedicated to her craft in a way that is almost inspiring and when she is focused it takes him back to doing training trips when he was younger.

It is outside of training that is driving him crazy. She has taken to for lack of better words, attempting to act like a doting housewife. She picks up his clothes, which he can do on his own, _thank you very much_. And often sneaks into his bed.

He tries to be kind and he also tries to be blunt. He had thought at the Grand Magic Games that he had been very clear about his feelings towards her. What had happened way back when the had first met was no different than what he had done with any other person he had fought. Well, minus Lyon but that guy was a special case.

The worst might been when she tried to touch his tattoos. She had been asking about the quite frequently and wasn’t usually one to cross boundaries but this time she had and he had accidentally snapped at her.

“Don’t touch them!” He had pulled back and bared his teeth at her.

“I… Gray-sama, the marks are spreading.” She gestured to them, making sure to keep her hands at a comfortable distance.

“Oh…” He looks down at his arms and isn’t surprised that it’s Fenrir’s addition that is spilling into inky blackness across his skin. 

He knows, whether he is ready to admit it or not, that there is something _wrong_ with his father’s demon. He’s just not sure what. And part of him isn’t sure that he wants to know.

* * *

It is almost a blessing when Erza contacts him out of the blue one day. He has gone back to Magnolia, to see Porlyusica and there is the red haired woman sitting on a fallen tree as if she’d known he’d come.

“You are looking well.” She commented and he shrugged lightly.

“I thought you’d be off beating sense into Jellal.” He responded as he slouched next to her, a few extra moments avoiding the grumpy healer sounded like a good idea.

“I have a lot more help in that department than I use to. His and I have come to an understanding.” She shifted to look at him. “But that isn’t why I’ve come.”

Gray shrugs, Erza is not one for small talk when she can help it and Gray has never had to balls to ask her if the love she and the blue haired man is romantic or platonic. He’s honestly not sure if it’s his business or not.

“There is a dark guild of Zeref worshippers that Jellal has asked for my help with apprehending. Unfortunately we discovered something troubling and realized that we need someone on the inside…”

* * *

X792 Avatar: Mikage Branch

Getting into Avatar is ridiculously easy. And while Gray has spent most of his life around idiots and eccentric characters he feels like these guys take the cake. It also makes him wonder if they really are the main branch like Erza had told him. Because honestly he can’t imagine how this group of idiots managed to corral what might become the largest gathering of Zeref worshippers.

Their leader is naturally a bit wary of Gray, after all he came from not just a light guild but one famous for being full of good people. Which often makes Gray snort because Fairy Tail definitely toed the line of morality all the time.

While Alok was a little bit wary of him, Jerome was definitely interested in him and annoyingly enough to so was Briar. What surprised him though was Mary. The young woman was quite suspicious of him although he wasn’t sure if was a cue from her grandfather or something else.

The other members went back and forth with being suspicious about him but Gray was a rather good spy in many respects. Mainly because he never lied to them. He was determined to scrape out what he could learn about Zeref’s magic and creations from them. His main goal was E.N.D. and with the magic he was discovering there was a lot to be found.

And some that might even prove useful.

* * *

X792 Grand Magic Games Crocus

The dust has all but settled on the field and Lucy is partially annoyed and partially happy that another Grand Magic Games is over. The last time had put her full of energy and might but this time felt like a whimper in compared. These _were not_ the strongest Guilds that the continent had to offer. Even Sabertooth and Lamia Scale hadn’t shown up. Not to speak of others. She had hoped that Lamia Scale would show up, Lyon might have known something about Gray.

Now she sat listing to Jason all the things wrong with what was happening and how the games must have been thrown. She was bored out of her mind, she could have been training or editing write now. She stood to leave when the gates to the arena were thrown open. The shadowed figure had been hiding their magic power before now.

Either way, it was _familiar_.

She felt her breath catch as she leaned toward to try and get a look at this new person. She even felt her heart flutter with excitement, something she hadn't felt in so long. With a wave of fire so strong it melted her clothes off Natsu defeated not just the weak guild before him, but also had awed the audience.

The smile on her face must have seemed just a little left of sane but how could she not be happy? Natsu was back. And with Natsu back so was the promise of family.

* * *

It hits Natsu in a way that he didn’t think anything else could effect him, Fairy Tail in his absence had been disbanded. Lucy wasn’t just in Crocus for that year’s Grand Magic Games, she lived there now. It hurt in a way he wasn’t sure of. He had imagined that after he had stumbled in, that he would drink with his old friends and talk about what the games had looked like.

He _had_ imagined taking Gray aside when everything had died down and told him that he wanted to take another step. He had missed the other so much, Happy had tortured him for pining. 

Natsu was one to adapt on the fly though. He, Happy, and Lucy would send out the call and if he had to, he’d use his nose and search them all down and drag them back. This was his family, his clan and he’d be damned if didn’t have them.

Imagine his surprise when he found out that Lucy felt the exact same way.

He had, after a tiring day that resembled some of the earliest days of the friendship, snuck into her room with Happy to draw on her face only to find that she had been using her job and connections to keep track of the various members. She had a good idea where most were since they were pretty stationary.

On her map of the members though, Gray had a question mark. Natsu felt the pen drop from his nerveless fingers. He didn’t even hear Happy try to get his attention to see what was wrong. He distinctly recalled two very horrible memories. One of Gray explaining that learning Devil Slayer magic wrong could cause madness and the other of Mirai Rogue telling him that Gray would do the worst thing.

He swallowed hard, had he _failed_ his mate by leaving?

* * *

X792 Amefurashi Village

It was rather worrisome how sick Juvia was. She had sat in the rain for hours waiting for Gray and had lamented about how he had left her without a word. Wendy had taken over immediately, the young slayer could be a bit of a busy body.

He only listened with half an ear as Juvia talked about living with Gray. He wasn’t really interested and nothing he heard so far was giving him any clues about where Gray had gone. As he listened to them go on and on, he thought about when they had gone to Margaret Town and had found Wendy. He had hoped that Lyon would have some kind of knowledge of his pseudo brother.

He wanted to hope for the best, but he was starting to really feel worried now. The words that Mirai Rogue said was floating around in his head. When he had enough of Juvia’s words he headed outside, a little rain had never bothered him.

“You’re so adamant about finding Gray.” Wendy spoke softly as she exited the small house to with Lucy. “Do you have any leads?”

“And my notes won’t help. You saw that.” Lucy added but Natsu shook his head.

“Natsu… you’re making a scary face.” Happy spoke as he moved out of the shelter of the overhang to see his partner better.

“It’s not too far from here. right?” Natsu spoke as he turned to look back at them. “Sabertooth is our next lead.”

“If you are going to go… I should probably stay here.” Wendy sighed softly. “I don’t think Juvia should be moved right now. If you find Gray before I catch up tell him hello for me.”

Natsu paused and turned to look at her. Everyone loved and doted on Wendy but he knew that she was especially close to Gray outside of the dragon slayers. He wondered how she felt, losing his brand of show not tell affection. He ruffled her hair.

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back with plenty of bruises.”

* * *

X792 The Road to Sabertooth

Natsu swallowed hard as he and Lucy headed towards Sabertooth Guild. He wasn't sure how to explain himself. He loved and believed in Gray and he wasn’t sure of what might have happened in the year he had been gone but Gray was important. Not just to Natsu but also to the guild.

“When we find Gray… I don’t know what we are going to find.” He finally spoke. “We might not be able to trust him when we see him but I still trust him. Fairy Tail needs him.”

“Natsu what does that even mean?” Lucy whined but Natsu shook his head. 

“He’s one of us Luce. We gotta get him back.” He insisted.

“Look where you’re going!” She shouted shoving him. “And of course he’s one of us!”

“It’s just, we have to stop trusting him right now. We have to… Lucy I am going to bring him back. That’s a promise!”

“Natsu would you face forward! You fool!” Lucy all but shrieked as she shoved at Natsu, more softly she continued. “It’s Gray right? No matter what we find, he’s coming home with us.”

As they approached Sabertooth hall, Natsu felt a wave of nostalgia at the smells feeling his nose. He wasn’t really sure of why Rogue and Sting’s scents were more familial than Gajeel’s but he found he didn’t mind. Gajeel smelled like brother-rival but the twin dragons smelled like younger brothers.

Inside the guildhall he was actually pretty surprised to find only Sting as he had assumed that he and Rogue were attached at the hip. Yukino approached them with a bright smile but even that wasn’t enough to distract Lucy from staring at Sting. The Sabertooth Guildmaster had changed a great deal, she couldn’t help but exclaiming. Natsu rolled his eyes, it was a superficial change. Nothing in Sting’s smell or magic had changed.

“Where is your other half?” He finally asked and Sting just rolled his eyes. Off to the side, Happy and Lector were speaking quietly.

“I’m not his keeper. And to be honest he’s probably the stronger of the two.” Sting leaned back against the bar. “He’s taking the Princess on a mission. A year has helped a lot but somethings are still touch and go.”

“A mission?” Natsu perked up, that would make it easier to find Gray. “Let’s go Luce!”

He all but dragged her out behind him, using his sense to catch up with the two mages. He found them on the outskirts of town, idly chatting as they walked. In Rogue’s hand was the flyer for the mission and Natsu made sure to snatch it out of his hand.

“What?” The two jumped, “Natsu, what are you doing? That’s out mission!”

“Not anymore. Lucy and I need to borrow this. Don’t worry tho! You can have the reward money!”

“It’s not about the damn money!” Minerva shouted after them but Rogue shrugged idly and looked at her.

“I guess we should tell Sting what happened? Maybe he knows what has Natsu in a tizzy?”

“Search me.” The dragon slayer stated with a shrug.

Lucy and Happy came flying up after them. Minerva turned to look at them as Lucy paused to take a few breaths. “He is way too fast.”

“Can you explain what’s going on?” Rogue asked idly.

“Were you at our guild?” Frosch asked.

“Yeah. We are working on bring back our guild! Natsu thinks that somehow there’s a lead to one of our members around here.” Lucy didn’t want to exactly lie, but she really wasn’t sure of where Natsu was going with this.

Not too far away, Natsu had stopped, he unfurled the job flyer and felt something cold roll in his stomach. The job flyer was to destroy a black magic cult. This had to be it.

“We’re taking this job!” He turned around to face them.

“What? This is Saber’s and you aren’t even in a guild!” Rogue protested but Natsu shook his head.

“I’m in Fairy Tail. And just… Let me do this job. You can have the entire reward. It’s not important.”

“This sounds fishy Natsu.” The younger dragon slayer crossed his arms.

“Please. It’s important to me. Oh, and promise me. You and Frosch will not leave town. Don’t leave until we come back.” He grabbed the blacked haired man’s hands and squeezed them. “Stay in town.”

“Natsu I don’t under—”

“Come on Lucy! Happy!” He turned and grabbed his partners and took off.

“Natsu!” Rogue growled.

“Minerva! Keep them in town! Watch Rogue and Frosch carefully!”

They ran at full clip out of town as Natsu recalled Mirai Rogue’s words yet again. The flyer felt hot against his chest in his inner pocket. This had to be the lead. This was how they would find Gray.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said this was only going to be 10 chapters? Good times.
> 
> My predictions skills are terrible...

X792 Avatar Mikage Branch

Gray is bored out of his mind as he leans his head onto his fist while listening to Alok go on and on about their plans. He had gained what information he had needed from them at least a month ago but Alok fashioned himself as a priest. And in Gray’s experience, like all priests, he had a problem with getting to the damn point.

Often at times like this, his mind would drift and he would think about Natsu but recently Fenrir had been rather restless under his skin. It made Skadi unnerved and that worried Gray. Nothing seemed to sooth the demon and Gray wondered if it was aside effect of the way that he had separated from his father.

“There is a good chance that spies will try to get in the closer we get to Operation Purify.” There was a murmuring of agreement and Gray sighed softly. He had already seen the spy that had tipped them off. Levy was good but not that good.

After the meeting, Gray headed back to the library which is where he spent most of his time. He had decided that mainly he would study their magic, even if it was mostly things he had no desire to touch it and search for anything that could help his main mission. These guys weren’t that strong from what he could tell, but their numbers were unknown. Even now, at six months in, he still had no idea of numbers and saw no records of it either.

A surge of pain hit his right wrist and he grasped it, biting back a pained noise. This had started after he had arrived at Avatar, the mark acting up. He had covered the right side of his body in black so that he could hid his Fairy Tail mark but he wondered idly if he should have covered the left side.

“Come on Fenrir, lay off me.” He grouched but the demon was unresponsive. He didn’t want to have Skadi suppress him but the pain was growing. “You stupid wolf.”

_He is completely unresponsive. I will suppress his magic._ Skadi’s no nonsense voice filtered through his mind and he groaned. He probably should see if they had anything about possession and other forms of parasitic magic to see if he could figure out what the hell was wrong with Fenrir.

* * *

X792 Unknown Forest

“Explain yourself.” Lucy stated as she sat on a stump and stared Natsu down. Happy sat on her side looking at the dragon slayer as well. “Neither of us understand and this is a wild goose chase.”

Natsu looked between the two of them and became lost in thought, how much should he tell them? In the end, it was easy to decide to just explain it all. He swallowed hard and stood up, he could explain this sitting down.

“Remember Rogue from the future? He told me.”

“Mirai Rogue?” Lucy cocked her head to the side, she couldn’t imagine him giving them any kind of useful information.

“He said that in a year after the Grand Magic Games that he would confront Gray as an enemy. And hearing about what Juvia said, it makes me think that this could be it.”

“But our future is different! In that Rogue’s future the dragons wouldn’t have attacked and whatever could have _changed_ Gray probably didn’t even happen.”

“Juvia mentioned that Gray was acting strange about his tattoo. Especially the left side. If the second demon was corrupted by it’s time in Tartaros…”

Lucy frowned and then felt even more guilty. Natsu had kept this quiet, she knew how he felt about the demon slayer. She could feel her mind trailing down dark paths when a hand landed on her head.

“Don’t worry. No matter what happens. Gray is one of us. Even if I have to beat a the reminder into him.”

* * *

X792 Avatar: Mikage Branch

Gray once again found himself sitting in on yet another boring meeting with the other members. As the day of the operation came closer, the more nervous they got about their supposed spy. As they talked it was Jerome that called him out this time and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“So, you think one of us is a Council informant and you suspect me.” Gray tilted his head to the side. He knew that they were going to again rehash the reasons he could or could not be. Although more came out this time then he had expected.

“I did some research on you.” Jerome stated as he turned towards him fully. “Your parents were killed by a demon from the book of Zeref. And your teacher and her daughter died in Zeref related incidents. You have no reason to worship Zeref.”

“Isn’t it too late for doubts?” Briar intoned and D-6 might have said something but Gray wasn’t listening. Briar and Jerome were the ones to watch.

“Wow is your information wrong, Dark Sword Jerome.” Gray made sure to add extra sarcasm to his drawl. “Ultear isn’t dead.”

“The point is that there is no reason for you to be here!” Jerome growled approaching him even as Briar moved to step in.

“Don’t worry about it Briar. Apparently it’s not clear enough why I’m here. What I want is the Book of E.N.D. I don’t care what else happens or what you guys do. And don’t cite my old guild at me either. I only live to defeat E.N.D. And I don’t care what I have to do to make that happen.” He leaned into Jerome’s space. “And don’t forget it. Until that day I’ll work alongside you people. You’re my best lead.”

Briar stared after Gray as he turned to walk away. She looked at the others but it was Mary that beat her to speaking.

“No way someone with magic that black is going to inform the Council about us!”

Gray was on his way to the library when he caught a whiff of familiar scents and shook his head. Lucy was in Crocus and who knows where Natsu could be. He was feeling lonely and nostalgic.

“Gray! You’re here, right?! I can smell you! Get out here!” Now that definitely wasn’t his own mind tricking him. How was Natsu even here?

* * *

Lucy smacked Natsu as hard as she could. “We were supposed to be sneaking in!”

Natsu shrugged and Lucy rolled her eyes. Nearby Virgo was utterly excited about the torture equipment that the dungeon was filled with. She groaned in annoyance. While she had missed fighting she wasn’t sure she missed this part.

“I can smell Gray. He’s here.” Natsu crossed his arms.

“Then there _is_ no need to sneak around!” Happy cheered and Lucy rolled her eyes again.

“Are you doing something fun?” A small creature that held a familiar curse doll jumped down before them.

Natsu wasted no time dispatching him and his companions as well. “I have no use for anyone here that isn’t Gray.”

The others stared in shock at how powerful and fast Natsu was now. A figure appeared in the doorway and rolled his eyes.

“He’s out of your league Gomon. I’ll take him down.” Gray spoke as he slowly walked down the steps.

“Yo… you being doing good?” Natsu asked as he took in the changes that his best friend had undergone.

And Gray did look different, his hair blown back and black magic marks that spiked across his skin. He could feel how much more powerful that Gray had gotten but he didn’t really feel different. His whole mind was screaming _mate_ and there was the excitement of an oncoming fight under his skin.

On the other side, Gray wanted to smack all three of them and throw them out of the building. He had no way to signal about what he was doing and as he fought Natsu he wasn’t sure of how he could deal with them. He needed them out of the way but also not hurt. He tried to get them to move around but it all came to a head when Natsu pushed too hard like always.

“We’re reviving Fairy Tail and we need you in it!”

Gray had to think on his feet and sadly, only cruel words came to mind. “Pathetic. Fairy Tail doesn’t even exist anymore.”

“The spirit isn’t gone!” Natsu protested immediately as he stood back from the other. “Our memories, our bonds are all inside us. Now and forever.” He pounded his chest over his heart.

Gray swallowed hard, but stood tall and made his final remarks, he knew that this would either make or break his rouse, no matter how bad he’d feel about it. “Then let it stay there. You can do what you wish but I’m going my own path. There is no more Fairy Tail inside of me so stop pretending to be my friends!”

It happened faster then either Natsu or Gray could follow. Lucy marched into their battle and slapped Gray so hard his face turned. She had tears in her eyes and Gray could feel the pain throbbing in his heart. He had needed to be convincing but he hadn't expected the rebound to be so painful.

“Pretending?! Pretending?! Why would you say such an awful thing? I never want to hear such a stupid thing out of your mouth again. We are friends! And we always will be!”

Gray could feel his composure crumbling. One of the girls, one of his closest friends, crying was still the hardest thing for him to be confronted with. He could feel his instinct to comfort began to surge but thankfully was interrupted by Mary.

“W-what?” Lucy crumbled to her knees. “My stomach.”

“Lucy!” Natsu dashed forward, that was definitely not one of Gray’s powers.

“Is that you Mary?” Gray’s eyes slid to the side. He didn’t like the girl, but she had saved him whether she realized it or not.

“Who are these people Gray? Old friends from before? Are they from that stupid guild you use to belong to?” Her cheery voice was so strange amidst the chaos of the dungeon.

“What did you do to Lucy?!” Natsu growled as he held her up.

Gray kept his face impassive as Gomon jumped up and captured them. He didn’t move even as Happy was captured. He wasn’t surprised when Natsu surged at him, his magic might have been suppressed but that wasn't the main source of his strength. Natsu was powerful, fire magic or not.

“Don’t move.” Jerome stated as he stepped in front of Gray and laid his sword across Lucy. _Late as always,_ Gray thought. But now, he could put on a true show of his ‘lack of loyalty’ to Fairy Tail. He just hoped that one day Lucy and the others would forgive him.

“You shouldn’t have come. Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong Natsu.” He sighed softly.

“Wake up Gray! You’re being possessed! The marks!”

“Possessed?” Gray snorted and slowly lowered his jacket to show off his new guild mark. I erased the mark of Fairy Tail myself and willingly accepted the mark of Avatar.”

He watched carefully as looks of anger and shock spread across their faces. Those three dear faces that he had never wanted to cause this kind of pain to. He shifted to pull his jacket back on. “Lock them up.”

* * *

On his own, in his room, Gray leaned against the wall and stared out into the dreary forest that provided the castle’s view. He could feel the guilt churning in his gut. He bit his lip roughly and forced himself to focus on the goal.

There were still at least a few more days before Operation Purify. He couldn’t let it go now. He could probably orchestrate their escape without it leading back to him. He rubbed at his chest. His heart hurt. He wanted to go down there and open the door and touch Natsu.

Not with violence, he thought of that night in the Sun Village when they had sat side by side and admitted their feelings. He had hurt his mate and he wasn’t sure he could come back from that.

_You are overthinking this far too much. Natsu is an idiot that will forget any pain._ The voice was meant to be comforting but Gray shook his head.

“It’s not about the forgiveness Skadi.” He bit his lip. “I need to contact Erza now before I miss the contact point.”


	10. Chapter 10

X792 Avatar: Mikage Branch

Gray wasn’t really sure about what his plans to free Natsu and the others would be. And to be honest, he wasn’t sure what exactly Avatar planned to do with them. His great hope was that Alok thought of using them as sacrifices to Zeref, which would keep them in the dungeon, mostly left alone until the day of Operation Purify. Which would give Gray ample time to free them.

Naturally, Gomon had to ruin the idea of that plan. He all but demanded the ability to torture them for information and gave Gray a challenging look across the table as he did so. Apparently, his show of loyalty wasn’t enough for some of them. Then again, Gomon wasn’t smart enough on his own to come up with this idea.

It had to be Jerome or D6. Briar thought herself so strong that she could take whatever Gray could dish which was laughable. He had to hand it to whoever was nervous about him, even if he wasn’t the mole they were actually looking for. Gray, not now, not ever wanted to be an informant for the Magic Council. And honestly, Levy was right under their damn noses the whole fucking time.

Speaking of Levy. He tucked that into his mind after the meeting.

“So what? You want to torture them for information? I didn’t know you loved me that much Gomon.” He took a sip of his wine and leaned his head on his hand with boredom. “You can just admit that you want to get your rocks off.”

“They must have information about either the Council _or_ about your motives Gray.” D6 finally spoke turning to look at him in interest and Gray couldn’t help but snort on both accounts.

“I haven’t seen those three since Fairy Tail disbanded. And if what they are saying about reviving Fairy Tail is true then no way are they cooperating with the Magic Council.” He waved his hand indolently towards Alok. “Plus it’s not my call on how we treat prisoners. Ask the right person.”

“If there is no information to be gained then I will let you act at your own discretion Gomon. But, they will be valuable sacrifices to Zeref. Don’t damage them too much.”

Not what Gray was hoping for, but that was definitely workable. He was glad for his stone cold poker face as Gomon talked gleefully about torture for a few minutes before Briar finally got frustrated.

“Shut your mouth foul torturer! That has nothing to do with our glorious plans.” She hissed and then turned to Alok and Mary. “Surely there are more important things to discuss.”

Alok shrugged lightly and looked out over the other members. He didn’t talk much outside of his own sermons to be honest, and Gray was a bit disturbed by what was possibly under the face mask. He could see that his face had been burned, maybe even twisted by the Dark Magic that he had been using.

_To use demon magic without the proper steps was extremely dangerous_. It was something that had been ingrained into Gray from a young age. Most of the other members used tools that acted as both a conduit and limiter but they wern’t like Master Hades and Grimoire Heart had been. He wasn’t even sure they fully understood what the long term repercussions of their magic use would entail.

“Nearly all the missives have been sent out. All of Avatar down to the very last member will be at Malba City for Operation Purify.” Alok took a slow and deep breath looking over the other members. “It will take us two days to reach. The further members a week. The stars have aligned for the right day.”

Gray wanted to roll his eyes. There was nothing special about the day they had chosen. And he knew for a fact that Zeref wouldn’t care about the things they did. If he hadn’t intervened on behalf of Tataros, a guild made up of his demons, then there was no way he’d take up for these useless bargain bin mages.

Then again, he was the only mage here to hold the dubious honor of having met Zeref face to face. More than once even! He stood up with a roll of his shoulders, the meeting might not have been over but he was sure the rest of the time would be rambling about the greatness of Zeref and the Mikage Branch’s greatness.

“Leaving so soon?” Abel asked, the usually talkative lackey had been quiet for this meeting.

“If Operation Purify has been decided then my part here is over. I don’t particularly care about politics and group dynamics.” He nodded at Mary and Briar and then paused at the door to make a gestured towards Alok. “All hail Lord Zeref.”

As he wound his way through the halls of the castle he snagged a rather short disciple and tugged them along behind him. It wasn’t unusually for disciples to be pulled aside but it was rare that he did so. Once he reached a suitable place he leaned back against the wall.

“Sir?” They asked, purposefully lowering their voice and Gray couldn’t resist a quick smile that he immediately whipped off.

“A little short to be a disciple. Too powerful to.” He pointed out and then stretched his arms above his head. “I’m not going to help you.”

The small figure lifted her head to reveal a well known face and brilliant sky blue hair. She was attempting to look furious but he honestly thought the pout was rather cute. He shifted his gaze over her head to resist the urge to smile again.

“You should help.” She hissed.

“Not _them_.” He had a lot of grudges against the Magic Council. Especially now, he shifted his weight and risked glancing at her. “Right now we are working towards the same goal. One week.”

He moved past her but she grabbed his arm and looked up at him meaningfully. “The others.”

“Not yet.”

* * *

Natsu was annoyed, which probably wasn’t a good thing for Lucy’s sanity. And yet here they were stuck in a cell and had on the magic-blocking restraints. He listened to them talk for a few moments but he decided that he would do better to relax. He closed his eyes and looked inward. Even now, he could smell Gray’s scent so strongly and nothing about it smelled off in particular.

Nothing that would explain his terrible behavior. It was a mystery to be solved but Natsu wasn’t good at that. He needed to be out and punching Gray in his stupid face, that was the best way to figure this out. At some point they could sit quietly and talk about everything else.

But first he needed to knock the shit out of Gray, especially for the cruel words he had said. It took a lot to actually hurt Lucy’s feelings and Gray had done it. Gray who was usually protective of the girls. Well, their feelings at least. Natsu most certainly wouldn’t run afoul of Ezra but he’d defiantly punch anyone that made her cry.

Natsu mentally shook his head. He was getting off target. He had time, after all, who knew when those stupid bargain bin mages were coming back. According to Juvia, black marks had been spreading across Gray’s body and he left her six months ago. And it was near the year mark of what Mirai Rogue had told him.

What would he do if Gray had really changed? He refused to believe that. Maybe because he was here that had changed things. The problem was, was that Mirai Rogue hadn’t really given him enough information to run on. He tilted his head forward to where Lucy and Happy were talking.

“Lucy... I need your help.” He spoke quietly and he looked towards the door. Their capturers hadn’t come back to talk to them or give them food. He swallowed hard and forced the words out. “Something has to be different about Gray put I don’t know what.”

“Why does something have to be different?” She asked quietly. “Why do you trust what Mirai Rouge said? He could have been going on about anything!”

“Yeah, why are we doing this based off of him.” Happy turned to face him.

Natsu shook his head in frustration and tugged on his own hair. There was a long silence between them and then Natsu swallowed hard. “I would like to just say it’s a slayer thing but... He was telling the truth. Gray killed Frosch in his time.”

“A time that has been altered.” Lucy insisted and Natsu shook his head.

“We can’t prove that.” He swallowed hard and he felt frustration well up in him that he couldn’t explain. “And like... it’s been a year Luce. It’s been a year and Rogue was on a mission to Avatar and here Gray is. You can’t tell me that nothing is wrong.”

Lucy swallowed hard and Happy shuffled closer to him. She had wanted to to convince him that things would be okay but he had a point. This Gray had thrown them away and possibly was willing to do violence if attacked. But she couldn’t believe it, before Gray had said those hateful words it had looked like any other time that those two idiots had sparred.

She leaned her head back against the wall. It wasn’t often that Lucy felt this type of helpless.

* * *

Gray wasn’t sure of what he was supposed to do to distract Gomon from torturing Natsu and Lucy. Part of him wanted to just outright maim the other man but that would be too obvious. And regardless of what others thought, Gray could do _discrete_. It was how he survived these past six months anyway.

Instead he was left with no ideas rattling in his head and a rising fear that he was losing control of Fenrir. The demon inside was clamoring for escape and filled with rage. This was not what he had expected when he had taken on the demon. And furthermore, his father had never talked about him being this way.

Even Skadi was confused by the change in the other.

It was two days wasted to control the demon spirit again and by then he was unsure of what the state of Lucy and the others were and that made him nervous. It was tempting to go down to the dungeons and find out but doing that would lead to more problems that he didn’t want to contend with. He was so close and if someone started to suspect him now...

“Did you lose something master?” It was the short disciple again, Gray had almost forgotten about her.

“I haven’t lost anything that I can recall.” He shrugged idly and leaned against a wall. “Are you prepared?”

“Of course.” The disciple pressed something into his hand. “I do believe this is what you dropped... master.” Her tone was dripping with almost annoyance and Gray felt a grin cross his lips.

The note was about Natsu and Lucy. Natsu had been whipped and Lucy had had her magic drained briefly but nothing permanently damaging. It turns out that Alok had demanded that they be sacrifices for Zeref when he had been laid up. Good.

He had a jail break to stage.

* * *

Lucy leaned back against the wall, breathing hard. Even a day after the magic draining ritual she still felt rather tired. Natsu was fuming in the corner and she was worried that he would really kill someone the next time the dungeon was accessed. 

They hadn’t seen Gray in two days. At first she had thought that it was because his words had been true, that he hadn’t cared. But Loke opened his own gate after he’d been contacted by Levy through Yukino and Libra. Something big was going on and Gray had disappeared. It lent more credit to Natsu’s theory that Gray had been possessed.

When the door opened to permit Gomon she felt her stomach drop. She was still tired, Happy was a nervous wreak and Natsu was likely to do more harm to himself than anyone else at this point.

“I have grown weary of the tea you two have served me. Alok has left to go to the meeting point with more of our strong allies. Ahead of schedule!” He seemed agitated as he moved around setting up his torture chamber. This time it seemed it was aiming to do damage. “It has to be due to that Devil Slayer. I will prove that he is the spy!”

“What the hell are you even talking about?” Natsu rolled his eyes and glared the other down. “Or are you just stupid?”

“Silence!” Lucy was extracted from the cell. She couldn’t control the scream that left her. “To be honest, I have a fondness for torturing women.”

Whatever instrument of torture he planned on using frozen in midair, when Lucy turned to look at him, she found the entirety of Gomon frozen, instantly.

“All hells.” Gray grumbled from the doorway. He looked worse then they had seen him before. “Should have known his creepy fetishes would cause him to ignore direct orders.”

“What’s the meaning of this?!” Natsu yelled but Gray ignored him.

The ice mage scrubbed at his slicked back hair causing it to fall in a much more familiar way as the black marks across his skin began to fade. He pulled a device out of his pocket, one of the lacrima instant communicators that Lucy had drooled over a few months ago.

“Code Red? This is Code Blue.” He talked into it for a few minutes as he hazily waved his hand. Cold magic broke the bonds on Lucy and opened the cell that contained Happy and Natsu. “I don’t even know why they are here. Ask them yourselves.”

He threw the device at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer stared at it in confusion and Gray rolled his eyes. “Put it up to your ear idiot.”

Natsu growled but did as he was told. “I see you and Lucy still know how to make yourself a nuisance. You really ruined Gray’s infiltration plan..”

“Erza?” Natsu gasped loudly and then paused. “Infiltration plan?”

“You don’t really think I’d take up with these bargain bin wannabe wizards?” Gray asked with a roll of his eyes. “Half their magic is just stolen artifacts of better mages we _already_ defeated.”

“He has a point.” Ezra laughed but she quickly sobered up. “It seems that they are all moving and the converging point is a village they are going to slaughter.”

“What?!” Lucy jerked up and looked at Gray, in the quiet of the dungeon it was easy to hear the other woman.

“Yeah.” Gray looked away for a moment. “At first I was only supposed to come and see what they were up to. Maybe hit a few people and get out. I took up Erza’s request because I thought I could get some information on the Book of E.N.D. Unfortunately, I discovered they were looking for an entire village to slaughter in the hopes of luring Zeref.”

“Oh no.” Lucy sunk to her knees but Natsu was glaring, his eyes taking in the cell and the words that they were saying. There was no point in action now, he would trust in Erza and Gray as he’d always done.

Gray took the lacrima communicator from Lucy and fiddled with it for a second and Ezra’s voice came out louder. “I was contacted by Jellal to aid him in investigating this group. After all, most of the faces in Crime Sorcière are a bit too well known at this point.”

Gray gestured to them and they began moving through the compound as the older woman continued to explain the mission in question. By the time they had reached the stables she had them fully updated. From there Gray took over.

“Operation Purify should be launched within three days. Alok left ahead of time supposedly to set up which makes me nervous. I was supposed to leave with them him but I got suspicious when Gomon didn’t come to leave with us. I left a message for the Council.”

“We’ll meet at the checkpoint.” Ezra’s voice was no nonsense. If it looks like the operation will start earlier contact me immediately. I’m already near the village.”

“Understood.” Gray cut the call and then looked at the other three, his face a bit sheepish. “Look... I’m really sorry for what I said the other day.”

“No worries. Sorry for slapping you.” Lucy smiled at him.

Natsu on the other hand cackled. “This is great. Already we’re going to be fighting together again!”

Gray couldn’t help the fond smile that cross his face. “You guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update almost didn’t happen. Mostly because I’m lazy as hell. But I think I’ve been mostly consistent.
> 
> My goal is to have this finished by the end of the year but we shall see...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been wanting to post this chapter for the longest time...

X792 Outside Malba City

Gray wasn’t sure of what he was expecting when they reached Malba City but what they got was utterly ridiculous. The full spectrum of the members of Avatar was a large force but not a single one of them were a match for them. In fact, they were mostly knocking off huge swathes of the force. He had a feeling that the Magic Council would be cleaning up for weeks. How had they gotten this many people to believe in the revival of Zeref?

On the other hand, the fact that he could fight alongside Natsu and Lucy again was an amazing feeling. He hadn’t forgotten how good it felt, but there was something amazingly good about being able to do it again. It eased something inside of him.

As Erza made her grand entrance from the rear of the battalion of zealots, taking out Jerome easily, he felt content. This wasn’t a big job and once it was done they could go find a challenge. On their own terms.

Even when they managed to call on one of the Yakuma Battle Gods, Gray wasn’t terribly worried. While Ezra was freaking out about the amount of magic power it took to summon one, Gray also knew they were limited by the summoner themselves.

It was no surprise to him when Natsu managed to destroy the creature with on of his signature crazy attacks. Natsu might be a moron but he was good at doing the impossible and Gray couldn’t afford to expect less.

When the dust had settled and Gajeel, having received their message showed up with the underlings of the Magic Council it felt easy enough to prepare to walk away. He listened intently as Lucy explained how she’d contacted as many former members of Fairy Tail as she could to bring them back together. He also took the time to greet Wendy and ignore Juvia as much as possible when he felt a darkness stir in him.

Fenrir was reacting to _something._

He shifted around and wondered what could have stirred Fenrir up enough to buck against Skadi. He rolled his arms lightly as if to release the tension but instead it built up more.

“Hey Gray... are your marks supposed to be... moving like that?” Lucy asked as she leaned towards him, her hands pressed on her hips.

“Juvia can help!” The water mage move to touch him but Natsu yanked her backwards.

“Don’t touch them.” His face was utterly serious and then he turned to look towards the hill.

The one that faced the direction of Sabertooth. And then Gray smelled it, the scents that he associated with Sting and Rogue. He could feel the marks becoming even more agitated. Fenrir’s power surged through him in an explosion of violent and vile magic.

_Demon, must kill. Kill the demon. Make it stop. Kill E.N.D. Stop the demon. It hurts. Kill it!_

Gray fell forward panting as marks on his body began to expand off his skin in inky tendrils of wild magic. He realized as he stared at the others looking at him in fear that he had never thought of what being tied to his father could have done to the other.

“Purify.” Gray rasped out but the others were staring at him in confusion.

* * *

It wasn’t really needed for them to go, considering the power that Sting and Rogue knew that the former Fairy Tail wizards had. They probably had enough power for the mission but something just didn’t sit right in their minds leaving them all alone. It wasn’t like they hadn’t fought together before and with the Sabertooth Guild master there they could even argue that they’d requested a favor. If the Magic Council got a little huffy about it.

It wasn’t a surprise really but it was a little bit of a disappointment to see that the fighting had already finished. Sting put his hands behind his head as they walked down the hill towards the others. At the very least a ‘congratulations’ was in order.

Rogue stopped suddenly looking around. “Where’s Frosch?” 

“Probably with the others... you know he likes making friends.” Sting shrugged and then they both stopped as a violent miasma of dark magic enveloped the battlefield.

“I thought they’d beat them?!” Rogue took off forward but Sting pulled him backwards.

“Something’s wrong.” The Light Dragonslayer stated and Rogue shook him.

“Duh, you idiot. Something involving shadow.” But Sting shook his head, it had to be something else and while Sting was always ready to throw down, something didn’t smell right.

* * *

Natsu had jerked Juvia out of the way of the first flailing tentacle of dark magic but wasn’t so lucky to avoid the second. The smell in the air was positively rank. It smelled of old matted fur and rotted meat. Like something that had died a long time ago.

And the smell was coming from _Gray_.

Erza was the first to attempt something. She hacked at one of the tentacles only for Gray to cry out in pain. She stopped almost immediately and looked at the others. This wasn’t an attack from others. Whatever this was, it was their friend.

Inside the miasma, Gray’s body was moving. He stood up slowly and looked towards the others and then turned away. His mouth was moving but nothing coherent seemed to be coming from him. Natsu recalled with a shudder about how earlier he had thought that Gray had been possessed. Now it seemed as if he hadn’t been far off.

**“Stop me.”** The voice was Gray’s but not at the same time. The distortion made it hard to understand the words. 

Natsu took the words to heart. He dodge his way into the tentacles but was then hit and shoved back. He tried again but was caught across the face and sent outside again. It was rapidly becoming obvious that there was no way inside without hurting Gray. 

As he was contemplating using his fire on Gray, the possessed man launched forward. Natsu cursed, there was no time to think. He blazed with fire as he ran after the other young man. It was probably the most terrifying thing that Natsu had done in a while.

Something was manipulating Gray. Something was hurting his best friend. Possessing his _mate_.

There was something strange and improbable about this situation. It brought Natsu back to when Mirai Rogue had told him that Gray was going to kill Forsch. He had tried his best by intercepting the mission, he had refused to believe that Gray could do such a thing.

After all, Gray spoiled Happy. Even if the two thought he didn’t notice.

Suddenly everything came to a stand still. Gray had stopped but Natsu wasn’t sure of what had stopped him. Natsu maneuvered himself around the other, still hopeful that he wouldn’t have to use violence this time to stop Gray. In the road was Forsch, that little exceed was staring up into the miasma that had taken over Gray with wide eyes.

Frosch was staring at his own death without surprise.

It occurred to Natsu as the creature that was controlling Gray paused that maybe the little exceed didn’t realize just how much danger he was in. There was a long silence as everything paused. Inside the miasma, Gray fell to his knees.

**”Get away.”** The Gray, not Gray growled out and Natsu realized that this was his time to try.

Fire blazing he dove into the miasma and burned away the tendrils as he went. The screams that Gray released were painful but Natsu didn’t know what else he could do. He managed to lay a hand on Gray’s skin, directing him away from Frosch.

“Aren’t you the weird slayer that Rogue and Sting were talking about?” The exceed smiled at them without comprehension and reached a little hand out. “Want to be friends?”

A scream ripped out of Gray and then a ferocious growl came from ahead of them. Rogue in fear and rage that Frosch was in danger. Natsu managed to push the figure within the miasma down but it occurred to him as Gray stared up at him that maybe the issue wasn’t Gray.

* * *

Inside Gray was total chaos. There were many different types of battlefields that Gray had fought on in his short life but this was never one that he thought he’d encounter. He was trapped inside his own mind as a viewer of the outside world. He and Skadi were trying with their own mental fortitude to overcome the raw power and pain that Fenrir was excluding.

_”I’m starting to think that...” _Skadi’s voice was wavering. _“Whatever Keyes did to Silver...”_

_“It must have corrupted Fenrir. Is it possible to... purify him? The effects of necromancy on him...” _Gray mentally shuddered. _“Or do we have to push him out?”_

It went unsaid that pushing Fenrir out of Gray’s body meant that all that would happen is death. They really didn’t have the time to come to any kind of well thought out plan. Instead Gray, decided to try the first thing that came to mind. He threw himself into Fenrir’s energy.

Gray was no stranger to weird situations and this was not set to disappoint. Inside the energy that was Fenrir, was a thick miasma of pain and suffering. He had hoped that Skadi’s energy could soothe the demon but instead it seemed to enrage it.

The magic tried to push him back but if Gray had one thing, it was tenaciousness. He forced his way back into the miasma and found something inside. A soft white light, it reminded him of his childhood.

_”Fenrir?”_ He called to the soft ball and realized that maybe this wasn’t what he thought. He decided to change tactics. He called out to the demon more, trying to find his conscious mind. It wasn’t that the demon was corrupted. He was hurting.

* * *

Natsu pressed his hands against Gray’s skin and tired to tug him back into his arms. He had thought that the creature inside Gray would fight back. On the contrary, the man didn’t move. The miasma itself continued to fluctuate but it wasn’t attacking anymore. Something quiet settled among the group.

Forsch tilted his head to the side and without checking with Rogue walked straight into the miasma. When he finally got to the center where Gray and Natsu was, he lifted up and laid his tiny paws on Gray’s hand. A part of Natsu wanted to scare the exceed away. He couldn’t risk that future coming true. 

He couldn’t let Gray become a murderer.

There was an exceeding amount of panic growing outside of the ball of miasma but Natsu paid it no mind. He knew they trusted him to do something about this and more important he trusted _Gray_. It occurred suddenly to Natsu that something had to be different from Mirai Rogue’s future.

He had said that. Gray had killed Forsch, and yet here the other was sitting silently as if he wasn’t there. He wracked his brain trying to think of what could have went down. After all, it wasn’t as if that broken man from the future had been able to give him an accurate recount of what had lead to Frosch’s death.

And then it hit them, the Grand Magic Games and Gray’s ‘death’. The other man had died for a brief instance and Natsu felt his instincts get upset at the memory but there had to be more there. Something Gray must had said or done that had changed. Natsu was sure the miasma was the same, that Avatar was most likely the same.

Finally he came upon something that Gray had said, maybe not fully accurate to what he had said but— _”At the Grand Magic Games, when I died. My demon came to me and we fulfilled the pack between our people.”_

It occurred to Natsu then that that had to be the difference. Gray had somehow called his innate demon, the one passed through his original pact. Without Mirai Rogue’s interference in the Grand Magic Games that never would have happened before.

It was the thing that could stop that horrible ending.

* * *

“I don’t understand.” Gray pressed against the ball of magic and looked over the now contained demon.

Skadi had blocked off Fenrir from controlling Gray’s body but it still left them in some kind of weird in between where no one was controlling Gray’s body due to the mass amount of pure magic pouring off of him. The impression of Skadi beside him, as they tried to figure out just what had happened and what to do about it.

“It has to do with that dragon slayer I think... the one of shadows.” Skadi used the time to look out of Gray’s eyes and then sighed. “Fenrir has locked in on it as a demon.”

“A demon?” Gray’s tone was far drier then it needed to be for that statement. “First of all... he’s not attacking you.”

“He couldn’t hope to beat me.” Skadi sent the feeling of shrugging and than sighed. “It has to be something to do with whatever that necromancer did. Maybe our best option is to remove him.”

“No.” It was quick and firm, the silence that followed was strained.

“I don’t want to let him go either Gray. But this is endangering your life and that of your friends. If we can’t purify Fenrir then it could cause dire consequences.”

Gray swallowed hard. “We are going to head back to Fairy Tail after this. Gramps or maybe Freed can help me figure out what to do. I think for now our best bet is to seal him away.”

“A seal won’t last very long. Maybe two months at best.” She warned him.

“That’s good enough. If all else fails we will push him out but I’d rather try to save him first.” Gray explained and Skadi nodded back to him.

“Okay, okay... because he’s disoriented I can probably use his own magic to make a stronger seal but this could cause your demon slayer magic to be weaker.” She pointed out and Gray shook his head.

“Protecting my friends is more important.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should inform you readers that somehow right now I have 4 jobs which means I haven’t really had time to edit/write/breathe. And thus the almost radio silence.
> 
> II have summarily decided to remember that humans need breaks and thus have a lot of time off this month. So we will go back to our regularly scheduled programming. At least for a bit.


	12. Chapter 12

X792 Outskirts of Malba City

What had once been a battlefield was a confusing scene of heightened emotions. Lucy and the other former members of Fairy Tail stood with the two leaders of Sabertooth as they watched a thick ball of magic miasma sit unmoving. The others that were around particularly the Magic Council members were too busy collecting the Avatar members that were standing around dazed.

Rogue was the one that stood as close as possible to the miasma. He couldn’t help himself, Frosch was inside it. Sting and Lector were nearby but as advised by Lucy, it made sense to wait. Nothing dangerous was happening inside and if Frosch wanted to help, Rogue was will to let them.

That didn’t mean Rogue wasn’t _worried._

After all, out of the many Fairy Tail wizards, Gray was one of the the few that could be counted on to keep his cool under pressure. Sure he fought with Natsu a lot but he was usually not one to do something like this.

Rogue, growing impatient decided that maybe he should try to help and touched the miasma. It was a mistake. The magic launched at him in a way that it hadn’t reacted to others. It tangled around his neck and hand, with almost a killing intent.

He heard Sting’s cry of surprise and the sound of one of Erza’s swords. The tendrils around him were slashed at and Gray screamed in pain. Rogue grasped onto the tendrils and tried to sooth them. The attacked was honestly too weak to hurt him.

“Stop.” He ordered the others as another attack succeeded in making Gray cry out in pain. “It’s really not strong enough to hurt me.”

“It’s literally trying to kill you.” Sting pointed out, but Rogue shrugged.

“The pure magic is trying to kill me... but Gray’s will is stronger.” The shadow dragon slayer looked at the other ones. “I think that something bad could _have_ happened but it’s not, because Gray is stronger then that.”

* * *

Inside the miasma Natsu jerked as it moved to attack Rogue. It was a bit better then attacking Frosch, since the exceed was not as strong as his partner. But this was still part of the ‘very bad things’ that Natsu was trying to avoid. He thought to move to help but Rogue was calmly holding the magic back, as if it was a mere annoyance and not trying to kill him.

Natsu’s inner dragon growled a bit, Gray was not that weak.

“You know... I’ve never sat still this long before.” Frosch pointed out. “But I think he needs help. And Rogue always says to help when we can. So I can sit here longer.”

Natsu felt absurdly touched on behalf of Gray. It was one of the reasons why he generally loved all the exceeds. Although not as much as Happy of course. He hoped that this partner wasn’t too worried about what he was doing. Happy could sometimes worry too much.

The miasma came alive again, this time expanding and Rogue was pulled into it but not injured as Natsu had worried. Now inside, Rogue wasted no time in approaching the three and knelt down next to them.

“Any idea why Gray would explode into dark magic and try to kill me?” The younger man asked and Natsu shrugged but at Rogue’s unimpressed stare he sighed deeply.

“It’s a long story.”

Rogue batted once again at the bits of dark magic, unsuccessfully trying to kill him and looked at the perfectly unmoving Gray. He was fairly sure they had time. After receiving yet another look, Natsu knew he had no choice.

“It has to do with Mirai Rogue.” Natsu finally spoke. “He said that Gray would hurt Frosch.” Somehow Natsu couldn’t bring himself to say the full truth.

“Gray Fullbuster? Just randomly hurt an exceed? Surely not.” Rogue looked around the miasma and then thought about it. “Although this little one would try to protect me.”

He moved closer to the exceed and wrapped a hand around them, not separating them from Gray but making sure to add a layer of protection in case the demon slayer attacked again. It seemed that mostly, there was no battle to fight here, at least not one on the outside. 

As Natsu haltingly explained about Mirai Rogue and what was supposed to come to past if Gray happened to hurt Frosch, Rogue could feel his own heart hurting. He had become that because of Forsch dying? It both made sense and didn’t. There had to be things that either Natsu wasn’t telling or didn’t know. After all, it had to be more than one significant offense no matter how bad losing Frosch would be.

And yet, he could see it happening if things hadn’t changed. If the Grand Magic Games had not be interfered with. Would Sabertooth have changed without the attack of the dragons? Rogue thought he came by darkness naturally but it couldn’t possibly be _that._. Mirai Rogue had deliberately tried to ruin him through his shadow. This was something different.

Something that seemed like it would not come to past.

“I didn’t want to tell anyone because they might worry... or judge.” Natsu murmured as he reached his own hand out to stroke Frosch. “Gray wouldn’t hurt a hair on an exceed if he could help it.”

“...and I highly doubt I am going to wake up one day and just decide to be evil.” Rogue snorted and looked towards the group standing outside of the miasma. “I can’t really help your mate but I don’t really want to leave Frosch. If you don’t mind.”

Natsu shook his head, the twin dragons had a firmly cemented place in his heart as little brothers. And, to be honest, in a situation like this he felt that he preferred Rogue by his side. Sting was hardly every able to sit still.

* * *

Sting was two seconds away from either charging into the ball of dark magic that had absorbed a bunch of his friends or run around screaming in indignation. The new Guild Master of Sabertooth was not one for sitting around and doing nothing. Although, if he went inside it, it didn’t seem like he’d be of much help. Apparently on the inside of the bubble all they were doing was sitting around too.

It was so unfair. First he had missed what had probably been a great battle between Avatar and the former members of Fairy Tail and now there was what may or may not be a giant murder ball in front of him that he was not allowed to engage. It was supremely unfair and not a situation that Sting had signed up for _at all._

Lucy was the first to notice something happening. Probably because out of everyone in the current group she had the strongest observation skills. Or maybe it was simply because she wasn’t losing her mind with impatience.

“It... it looks like it’s receding?” She moved closer to Wendy and shrugged to herself in indecision. “Or maybe it’s changing?”

“No... its definitely receding. Also the smell is changing.” Sting noted as he took a few steps back.

It didn’t take long for the thick miasma to be absorbed back into Gray. In fact it seemed to shrink faster than it had grown. In the very center sat the four, Natsu looking relieved and Rogue looking put out as Gray lifted up Frosch with the dumbest look on his face that Sting had ever seen.

“You are the cutest thing I have ever seen.” Gray stated as he hugged the exceed.

“Fro thinks so too!” The exceed agreed and Rogue was definitely rolling his eyes in annoyance.

“Soooooo what just happened?” Lucy asked as Juvia started to move towards them.

Gray stood up with a little help from Natsu and Rogue, now there was no dark magic rolling off the demon slayer. Juvia, backed up a little bit. After her battle with Keyes she had become far to sensitive to wild dark magic and this was _not_ under Gray’s control.

“Apparently... I have been a walking time bomb for over a year.” Gray stated with a shrug of helplessness. “Fenrir is horribly unstable and thought that Rogue was a demon.”

“I guess looks can be deceiving. If anyone here is a demon it’s definitely that guy.” Rogue pointed at Gajeel and laughed at the other’s indignant squawk.

“Once the magic calms down... I probably need to figure out a way to figure out how to fix Fenrir.” Gray after a second squeeze handed Frosch over to Rogue a little reluctantly. “Might need to find a wizard that knows about purification.”

“Purification?” Lucy asked as Levy leaned forward, back from directing the Magic Council staff.

“Fenrir was corrupted by whatever the fuck that necromancer did to my dad.” He nodded to Natsu. “Luckily I had Skadi around to subdue him.”

“And without Skadi?” Erza looked concerned as she looked him over.

“Would have tried to drag Rogue into the dirt. The demon floats between being unresponsive to down right murderous.” Gray looked at the other. “Can’t rightly say I’d win with just Fenrir.”

A snort came from the other dark haired man. “Let’s try it when you aren’t literally fighting your own insides.”

* * *

X792 Magnolia outside Fairy Tail Guildhall 

Fairy Tail was just as they had left it a year ago. A massive crater that spoke back to the furious battle they had had with Tartaros. Gray couldn’t help but feel a bit of mourning even if it was just a building. In his time as a wizard of Fairy Tail the guildhall had been destroyed several times and each time had felt like saying goodbye to an old friend.

Maybe he was just sentimental like that.

Either way, it felt both sad and good to be working alongside the others again to restore the guildhall. The only problem was that someone was still missing. And it irked Gray to no end, that while everyone had answered the call and come, for some reason Makarov had not.

It could have been for good reason, after all Mest had stated that he’d lost touch with the old man when he had went to the country of Alvarez to talk with Emperor Spriggan. Sadly, or not sadly, Gray didn’t really care for politics, the country had erupted in civil war and had expunged rather violently the ruling class.

“You are thinking incredibly hard about something.” Natsu’s warm voice greeted him and he jerked his head, for Gray to follow him.

Glad for a break the taller man put his burden down and followed him. As much as the guildhall got broken and remade, mostly Magnolia never changed. It was relaxing to walk back to the river.

“What’s up?” He asked and Natsu couldn’t help but laugh.

“Just wondering if you were ever going to notice about the way that everyone is gossiping about you. Living with Juvia for almost 6 months. Turning into a giant ball of dark magic. Willingly spending time in the library. It’s like the guild doesn’t know you anymore.” Natsu snickered and Gray punch him in the arm none to gently.

“Asshole. You know the truth of everything.” He leaned into the other. “As if you’d let me.”

“Me... tell you what to do? Hasn’t ever happened.” Natsu leaned his head on the other.

The other laughed softly. “I didn’t mean it like that. You would never let me ignore _you._”

“Damn right” Natsu wrapped an arm around Gray and watched the water go by. “I’m ready when you are.”

Gray sputtered and broke from the embrace to look at the other. “You can’t just spring it on me idiot!”

“Idiot?! This is totally the perfect moment!” Natsu protested.

“It is not!”

“It is to!” Natsu growled back as they descended into their tried and true pattern of bickering. 

After a moment they both faded out and leaned against each other again, surprisingly without coming to blows. After a few moments Gray reached out and took Natsu’s hand.

“Shitty time aside. Me too.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a lore drop!

X792 Fairy Tail Guildhall

It is with great fanfare that the rest of the guild receives a relationship between Natsu and Gray. There was raucous drinking and fighting within the guildhall, Juvia seemed to cry forever, and Lucy and Loke looked at them with knowing eyes.

Lucy and Loke pretty much know everything about Fairy Tail and together they are a force to be afraid of. Levy might trade in the knowledge of books and research but those two traded in the intelligence of gossip and it was downright frightening.

Still, Gray didn’t feel right with Makarov being gone. As of right now Erza had become the 7th guild master and she wasn’t doing a bad job all things considered. Mirajane and Levy were there to offer lots of help. Especially Levy with her knowledge of the Magic Council’s expectations.

And this was all Gray just wasting time. In all honesty he had been banned from taking missions while Fenrir was still out of control. Natsu had taken a mission with Happy and Lucy. It left him with nothing to do but research. And while Gray didn’t hate books, he most certainly hated looking through ancient tombs and textbooks. He preferred hands on learning.

* * *

“I think it might be in your best bet to talk to Bickslow.” Erza stated quietly as they sat in the guild, it was a pretty early morning. “He could probably tell you about the state of Fenrir’s soul.”

Gray nodded with a tired sigh, he hadn’t wanted to really approach any of the other guild members about this problem. In fact, only those that had been there that day knew about the issue with his magic but Erza was right. It would be a good idea to talk to a wizard that had sprit magic. Probably also talk to Mirajane as well. Her Satan Soul takeover might shed some light on how to do something about Fenrir’s miserable state. 

Approaching Bickslow wasn’t really a hard prospect, the problem was that Gray just didn’t like feeling exposed. Finally he pushed himself forward and approached the other. Bickslow, just like the other members of his team, preferred to sit on the second floor. He dropped across from him and winced as he thought about when they had fought in the Fairy Tail Festival that Laxus had attempted to ruin.

“So... I need a favor.” He started a little nervously. Bickslow didn’t seem surprised and Gray used that to push forward. Erza could be such a busybody. “I would like you to examine the state of my demons.”

Bickslow snorted at that and then leaned forward. “You look super uncomfortable. Maybe we shouldn’t do it here?”

“Gotta better place?” Gray rolled his eyes and Bickslow laughed sitting back. Bickslow gave a causal shrug and spread his hands as his dolls moved around him.

“You do have a point. No one will see what I see anyways.”

All Fairy Tail wizards have kind of strange personalities. Even, Lucy as much as she liked to deny it was a weirdo too. On the other hand, when things got serious, it was like a switch flipped. It was what made them the best guild in Fiore and possibly the entirety of Ishgal. Gray forced himself not to squirm or show any reaction as Bickslow lifted up his eye guard and focused on him.

A silence stretched and the sounds of the guild filtered out. Gray wasn’t sure of exactly how Bickslow read souls. He had the unfortunate knowledge of how it felt to be controlled by the older man but this was definitely different. After a few moments, Bickslow moved and looked a little bit troubled.

“Well, you were right to come to me. One of your demons is strong and pure. The magic is calm and the soul is a perfect orb. The other is different. The demon isn’t strong and the soul’s orb is cracked. Too much pressure and it could shatter.” Bickslow looked a little troubled. “It’s strange though, I have never seen a soul broken in this way.”

Gray shrugged idly. “I’m not sure how to explain Fenrir. My father was the demon’s inheritor. When my father died... I don’t know if the demon did and when my father was... brought back the demon went with him.”

Bickslow looked a bit troubled at that. He tilted his head to the side and Gray was struck by the realization that Bickslow was looking at the souls his body carried again, only this time much closer. The room didn’t dampen this time. He could hear Lucy and Juvia bickering downstairs. He could hear Levy and Erza talking guild business while Mirajane was talking to someone about the new job postings that came in this week.

“I think your best bet is to dissolve the demon’s soul.” Bickslow spoke, jerking Gray back into focus. “The way that your family bonded to their demons made it so that all that’s left is the soul. If you dissolve it and reform it you might be able to save the demon.”

“Might doesn’t sound very confident.” Gray pointed out as he leaned forward.

Another silence stretched between them, Bickslow never liked being the bearer of bad news. That was something that Gray suddenly remembered and felt himself go cold. If Bickslow was being this reserved with his knowledge. It had to be bad.

“I can’t be sure but the soul might be irreparably damaged. The.. necromancer that brought your father back... Do you know anything about it?” Bickslow seemed to be choosing his words carefully and that was even more worrying. “I guess not.”

“I wasn’t of the mind to really research the methods. My father’s body was a husk and his soul was in pain the whole time according to him.” Gray looked out over the balcony into the open part of the guild. “I imagine that Keyes hadn’t really thought about the demon.”

“Necromancers... don’t bring back souls.” Bickslow began to explain slowly. “They can animate bodies and they can add a fake conscious. What Keyes did to your father was... different.”

Gray felt himself pale. Bickslow slowly explained how a preserved body was a good tool but was not independent. Which obviously contradicted Silver Fullbuster’s over a decade’s years of existence after his death. Instead Bickslow had a theory that made Gray’s stomach feel a little queasy.

“At times...” Bickslow stated quietly. “Places were violent deaths have happened can cause a soul to linger. Especially if the body is still here. Your hometown being so far north is perfect for such a thing to happen. What must have happened is that after the preservation ritual your father’s body was turned into a particular type of soul lure.”

“Soul lure?” Gray asked feeling distinctly sick.

“Hmm.” Bickslow looked towards the bar downstairs. “Soul luring is a type of magic that has to be carefully curated. The Strauss’ magic style does a particular sort of soul luring. The soul has to be willing though. Either to live on or to bind. Which is why it’s usually part of a soul and not an entire one.”

“Okay... then this seems to still kind of line up with what my father explained about his experience. Where is this going Bickslow?”

“It should not have been able to draw Fenrir. There is no way that Keyes would have known how to manipulate a demon soul, or what demon soul was tied to your fathers. I think Fenrir forced himself into the soul and bound his soul to your father’s.”

“Is that even possible?” Gray asked and Bickslow shrugged helplessly. “Usually souls just bind to the body. And like with Mirajane, her soul is the dominate entity. Even Selah is only a small part of the conglomeration of souls inside. You’re demon right now, is bound to your body but not your soul.”

“So then Fenrir is bound right now to my body but his soul is fragmented because he didn’t fully separate from my father’s soul?”

“I... honestly can’t say either way. But it would be in your best interest to break it down and reform it. Nothing worse can happen to Fenrir then what has happened already. At best, he will be himself again and able to bond to your body. If not... then his orb will become a pure power source as the parts that make ‘Fenrir’ pass on.”

Gray nodded stiffly. Inside Skadi seemed more quiet than usual. They had both been far more hopeful that they could save Fenrir. Instead, if Bickslow’s method didn’t work, then Fenrir would essentially still pass on with his father.

“If that is the best option then I’ll do it.” He finally stated and Bickslow nodded.

“I’ll talk to Mirajane if you talk to Levy about looking up some rituals. Often soul take over wizards use rituals to soothe or remove souls that don’t fit or have requested to leave. We should be able to do this fairly quickly.”

Gray nodded stiffly as he stood up and headed downstairs. Now that he knew what to do, he realized that there was a chance to do something. Finally, he had a plan even if it didn’t make him feel better.

* * *

Natsu dropped beside Gray as the other sat along side the river. It was easy to put an arm around the ice mage and tug him closer. Gray wilted into him and Natsu would have felt alarmed if he hadn’t been ease dropping on the conversation that he’d had with Bickslow earlier. He kissed the top of his head and looked out into the distance.

“Do you want me there when you do the rituals?” He asked quietly. “I can practice patience for you.”

Gray snorted and shoved at Natsu lightly. “You and patience don’t belong in the same sentence. Probably not in the same city.”

“How rude!” Natsu nudged him back with his head and Gray laughed lightly under his breath.

“I think it would be better if you weren’t there... but don’t like go on a mission or something. If this doesn’t work out I might need you.” Gray shuddered at the admission. “Well, I might need your scent. I sure as hell don’t need your smart mouth.”

“You like my smart mouth.” Natsu rolled his eyes and kissed his temple.

“Lucy likes your smart mouth.” Gray snarked back and then slipped his arm around him. “I like your stupid fighting style.”

“Do you always have to say ‘stupid’ with me?” Natsu whined and Gray snorted again.

“It’s not my fault you’re a moron, flame breath.” He rolled his eyes and pinched the other. “And I can say this because you are my moron.”

“You’re not any smarter popsicle pants.” Natsu grumbled but then settled down and kissed Gray’s temple again. Gray grumbled a bit under his breath but let the mock argument go. He’d rather relax with Natsu right now instead of sparring. That could come later.

* * *

Fenrir went out with a whimper, instead of a bang. Gray is not sure of what he expected when he expelled the demon to remove his soul. Fenrir had been mostly non-responsive behind the seal and hadn’t really put up a fight when Gray had started to untangle their assocation. Skadi theorized that it was because at the core, he didn’t want to _hurt_ Gray. After all, Fenrir would always recognize Gray as a Fullbuster.

It was pretty easy to turn the soul into a ball of pure energy but something felt like it was lacking. Gray felt something tremble in his chest when he looked over the small ball. There was barely any power in it and Gray didn’t really feel a decrease in magic power.

“I think something is wrong.” He looked up at Mirajane and her sister but Lisanna shook her head.

“This happens sometimes when you try to remove a soul. They want to leave but they don’t want you to be weaker.” The younger sister spoke.

“So you think Fenrir removed his own magic power from his soul?” Gray didn’t like how that sounded. He wanted to keep Fenrir more than he wanted to keep the magic.

“It could be. The lack of power will make the next part easier.” Mirajane smiled thinly. “Now you need to use your magic to help shape the soul. You should let Fenrir guide you since it is his soul.”

Gray nodded, he was no stranger to concentration and he curled almost protectively over the ball of magic as he tried to encourage the demon to mend itself. It was slow at first. Fenrir didn’t respond to his gentle prodding. After a while, he could sense movement but it wasn’t as much as he’d like. It took what felt like hours to move the soul into anything that resembled a cohesive soul.

In the end, he sunk into himself, exhausted. In his hands was a small, almost silver white ball that looked like it had seen better days. Gently Mirajane reached out and slowly examined it. After a few moments she passed it back

“It’s not perfect, which is good. It means that Fenrir was willing to survive. You can reabsorbed him now.” Her smile grew into something warm. “You did a great job Gray.”

“Wish I didn’t feel like I’ve gone a few rounds with Erza.” Gray grumbled as he pressed the soul back to his chest, allowing Skadi to take over from there.

He leaned back against the wall, glad he’d chosen the floor for this. They were in the guild library and as the smell of old books brought him back to this time and place. The smell was then changed as Lisanna came back down stairs, this time with tea in her hands. He hadn’t even noticed her leave.

“This should help.” She smiled as she sat it down on the floor nearby. He lifted the cup gratefully, the warm tea making him feel much better.

_Gray... I’m sorry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of toyed around with offing Fenrir and then remembered this is Fairy Tail and my own damn story. So wish fulfillment it is.
> 
> ...mostly I just wanted to do lore about souls and take over magic. I am ridiculous.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live! Possibly. Also I have not forgotten this fic, was just super busy and tired. I guess also as a warning my keyboard has decided to hate me sooooo this is not as well edited as I would like, I’ll probably come back and do some more editing later.
> 
> Also! I know I am shit at replying to comments (anxiety/pure fail) but I love and appreciate all comments/kudos/etc. I promise. Anyways, have some fic!

X792 Magnolia

It was astounding to think that they had spent months looking for Makarov and the man had the nerve to simply walk through the doors of Fairy Tail as if nothing had changed. Well, maybe not nothing. The man looked haggard. 

Gray wasn’t sure he’d ever seen him look so bad.

The guild went silent at the sight of him and the others had a look of utter confusion on their face. Why had the man dissolved Fairy Tail? And afterwards to come back so late? Makarov paid most of them no mind and approached the bar and slowly lifted himself up. He looked over at Mirajane and signal for a beer.

She was so shocked that she actually got it. When she sat down in front of him, her face changed as if she remembered.

“Master?” She hadn’t heard her own voice that thin and reedy since she was a girl.

“Please... just a little silence.” He spoke before he drank his beer. “I need to wait until he returns.”

There was a quiet pause but no one was really sure of who he was. The first person to come to mind was Natsu who was off on a solo mission with Happy or even Guildarts but he had just left after seeing the newly reconstructed guild hall. It was finally Laxus who walked up to him and clapped a hand on his father’s back.

“You can’t just leave and come back and say nothing Gramps.” He spoke almost gently but his gruff voice wasn’t lending himself to it so well. It was easy to tell that Laxus was also upset with Makarov’s disappearing act.

Makarov stubbornly didn’t respond beyond mere pleasantries and other trivial tidbits. It drove Gray and the rest of the guild _mad_. By the end of the day, they hadn’t gotten anything other than a few smacks and nothing useful.

* * *

It took a week before the mysterious _him_ appeared at left them all more confused then when this all started. First off, this mysterious him wasn’t Guildarts or even Mest. It was Jellal of all people, looking tired and more then a bit put out. The blue haired man walked into Fairy Tail alone with a message and a limp.

“Whatever you’ve done Makarov... You’re going to bring the wrath of the Spriggan on our heads.” He growled as he sat down.

Something should be said that a whole ass criminal was sitting in their guildhall with seemingly no fear of the Magic Council. Gray moved to speak up but Jellal looked over at him and then back at Makarov.

“It would be in your best interest to tell your guild what you did to them. Or worst to Magnolia.” He commented as he looked over at him. “Also, Cobra wanted me to send a message of his own.”

“Oh?” That caught Gajeel’s attention.

“Sand fucking sucks.” The older man deadpanned and then gestured to Mirajane. “If I could have a really strong fucking drink that would be great.”

“Jellal?” The other went stiff as he head Erza’s voice.

Natsu couldn’t help but lean into Gray and snort. Did that idiot really think that he could waltz into their guild and _not_ encounter Erza? Natsu thought the fuck not. The stiffness in the man’s shoulders seemed to multiply and he finally turned around with a rather thin look on his face.

“It’s good to see you Master Erza.” He greeted but his face was strained. “Any time Makarov.”

The older man sighed and climbed onto the bar and looked around the guild. At this time of morning there were people both apart of the guild and a few others that loved to come for lunch time. It was generally a lively place. Makarov looked over at Jellal and sighed. 

“No time like the present.” He twisted his hands together and looked out among the others. “Fairy Tail is going to war.”

“You can’t just declare that!” Erza shouted and Mirajane echoed her sentiment. Others were beginning to looked upset as well but those not apart of the guild began to inch towards the exit but Makarov stood before them tall and unwavering.

“This is still my guild and you are all still my kids. I’ve raised you to be able to protect yourself but I’ve failed you greatly.” He paused and suddenly Makarov looked his age and that made many of the members feel distinctively uncomfortable. “I’m sure you remember meeting First Master during the Grand Magic Games. Mavis Vermillion’s body is not on Tenroujima.”

“What?!” That was Laxus but Guildarts didn’t seem surprised and disturbingly enough neither did Jellal.

“The secret that Fairy Tail guards is a crystal of pure magic power called Fairy Heart. It is what attracted Edolas to us and also what has led us to be in the center of many Zeref related incidents. The First Master became a wizard due to that man.”

“Yay. Zeref has done one good thing in his life.” Natsu snorted. “That doesn’t explain why we are going to war.”

“Always so impatient.” Makarov spat. “A country to the west called Alvarez has always known about our secret. Even the Magic Council of Ishgar didn’t know about it.”

Probably tired of waiting Jellal sat up and without looking at Erza spoke up. “You’re master has been hiding the strongest souce of magic on Earth Land from the world because Zeref helped create it. Etherion was one deterrent to the country and Face was as well as other safeguards that the Magic Council squandered away.”

“Aren’t you one of those that squandered it?!” Someone shouted but Jellal paid them no mind.

“After your battle with Tartaros, the Alvarez Empire stirred with interest realizing that the well known safe guards were gone.” At this point Jellal turned to look at Makarov. “But something strange happened in the country that no one can pinpoint. Their guilds fell into rebellion and chaos. Eventually the Emperor’s guard abandoned the country.”

Makarov looked moved into a sitting position and took the story back over. “The Spriggan 12 were the Alveraz Emperor’s personal guard and a collection of wizards stronger than anyone in Ishgar. In fact a member of the 10 Saint Wizards, God Serena is a member.”

“One of the Gods of Ishgar deflected?!” That was distinctly Nab and Makarov resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“He is not near as strong as those at the top of the Spriggan 12.” The old man stated and then looked out among his guild. “I do not know why the former Emperor of Alveraz wants Fairy Heart but now that his guard has been freed from deal with the matters of state governance they are most likely going to attack.”

A silence stretched among the guild members and it was obvious to many of them that this was going to be bad. Murmurs began to stir but it was Jellal that broke the silence, he might not be a member of Fairy Tail but he was definitely there to help.

“It would be in our best interest to make a guild alliance. Right now, the other members of Crime Sorcière are keeping tabs around Fiore to try and track their movements.”

“We should get Lamia Scale and Sabertooth!” Someone shouted.

“What about Mermaid Heel? Or Blue Pegasus!”

“I don’t like this.” Natsu spoke under his breath, he knew well that Gray would hear him.

“Like what?” Gray whispered back but Natsu raised his voice for his next words.

“So... you telling me that we gotta rely on others to fight out battles?” He growled at Makarov but it was Jellal that spoke back.

“We can’t guarantee that they won’t attack all of Ishgar. It’s unfair to not give them the chance to fight for their own home just because the primary target is Fairy Tail.” He tensed his hands. “I wouldn’t have even know if I hadn’t gotten dragged into this one’s battle.”

“I didn’t ask for your help.” Makarov turned away crossing his arms and looking grumpily.

“You literally blew into our campsite and landed on me!” Jellal crossed his arms. “Also... you’re lucky that God Serena literally never got any smarter.”

Makarov laughed lightly but he sighed softly. “You really did earn your place as one of the top 10 Saint Wizards.”

Jellal scubbed his face. “I had to actually step out of time and talk to Urtear to recover from that. And that sadistic witch made me open my second origin. I am not amused by what went down.”

“Is that what took you so long to get here?’ That was Erza but Jellal shook his head. 

“A top level fugitive I might be, but I am still one of the few living experts on the secrets that the Council has. I was getting us a little bit of insurance.”

“Please tell me it’s not another magic stealing apocalyptic weapon...” Levy asked as she came up to the bar and Jellal shook his head.

“The Magic Council wasn’t just of full of idiots. As of right now, the remaking 4 Emepror’s of Ishgal are a little more enlightened then the previous council. Well... and more alive” Jellal grimaced as he realized that was probably a bad choice of words. “Ether way, I come with more information.”

“Do we really need more?” That was Gray looking at the older man with his own grimace. “Aren’t we going to do this the same way as always?”

Erza was the one to step in between them for that and she glared down Jellal with a spectacular look that to most would probably foretell the end of their lives. After a few moments she turned and looked at the rest of the guild

“Makarov’s return aside, I am still the master of this guild and honestly this is getting out of hand. Honestly.” She shook her head at the guild. “We’ll have a meeting on the second floor to talk about Fairy Tail’s official action. I want the Tenroujima team to attend.”

There was a soft silence but everyone nodded, the guild’s S-class and S-class adjacent members was probably the best to make this decision. Natsu naturally was the first upstairs to get the best seat, but Laxus threw him out of the way. It was such a normal moment that at first Gray thought everything was going to be okay.

It was decidedly worse then he thought.

* * *

“So you mean to tell me that most of this is because Zeref is focused on Aconologia?” Freed looked a little surprised but tilted his head. “That monster is incredibly powerful and didn’t even talk to us.”

“Aconoligia is not even the strongest dragon.” Jellal pointed out. “And in Zeref’s theory it will take something like Fairy Heart to stop him.”

“Not the strongest?! He stopped I—“ Natsu stopped himself and shook for a second, Gray put a hand on his shoulder.

“It fought a shade of Igneel. He wasn’t at full strength. Not with what Tartaros was doing.” Lucy spoke as she squeezed Natsu’s hand on his other side.

“It was also a damn lucky hit.” Natsu grumbled but he looked a bit mollified.

A slow silence settled on the group. It was true that together they had encounter Acnologia not once but twice and had still be unable to even pose a challenge for the dragon. Their power was nothing compare to that. And the three dragon slayers agreed, they were still no where near their parents power.

“Even at the Grand Magic Games we could barely take on the dragons that had come through the portal and they were all dragons that had lost to that monster.” Wendy pointed out and clenched her hands in her lap. “What can we possibly do against two sets of powerful beings?”

“Not give up.” Natsu gave her a sharp look and she glared back.

“I didn’t say give up!” She fumed at him and he allowed a small smile to slip on his face.

A long silence settled over the team and after a moment Ezra nodded to herself and looked over the assembled team. 

“We need to wake the first master again. Between her, Jellal and Hibiki they can make a good battle strategy that can waylay the Spriggan’s into traps. If we have to get the Magic Council involved we will but I would like to leave that to a last resort.”

“We also need the cooperation of all the Dragon Slayers.” Jellal looked at them. “It might be the only way if Aconologia is attracted to the fighting.”

There was an unsettled murmur. It wasn’t that the seven dragon slayers were all that resistant to fighting together They had during the Grand Magic Games and hadn’t lost it at each other. In fact, they had mostly managed to fight as if on one team.

The problem was that this particular target Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, and Laxus had to tried to take on before. None of them could believe that three more slayers would make a difference. It was unsettling.

“So that makes phase one.” Gray looked at them. “I guess we should get started?”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some lore

X792 Unknown shore of Alvarez Empire

Zeref wanted to laugh to himself as he looked over his group. Once the absent Emperor of a vast empire he was now the weakened leader of a group that one might call true believers. It was silly to think they had lost the entire Empire. Although looking back on what had happened it was only a matter of time.

Alveraz was doing well and had no interest in wars that seemed to have no gain. He was sure that the Spriggan 12 could have remained in control, August had been correct, but what was the point of ruling over a land of death. They would have lost their fighting force either way

And it’s not like the empire’s military would have been able to fight the advisors that he had selected for them. He had to admit that it would be better to take a smaller force. The Spriggan 12 and the few hundred supporters that he had managed to take with him wasn’t a bad amount.

There was only so much loyalty that he could expect from people who didn’t understand, especially the type that generally just wanted to live quiet lives. Although they were much better than the supposed minions that he had met across his travels around Ishgal. The nerve of them assuming that he was dead.

As if Zeref had ever known such peace.

* * *

X792 Magnolia

Gray wasn’t one for patience but at least he was better than Natsu. It had been a week since they had wakened Mavis Vermillion and she had been more than happy to be moving around again. He imagined it had to be really uncomfortable to be dead but not really. At least that was her explanation when she realized that they knew about Fairy Heart and her not quite death.

When they explained why they had awakened her, she had gone pale. Well, as pale as an astral projection could go. And then she had dropped another bombshell on them that had shaken Gray more than he wanted to admit.

Zeref was responsible for the creation of Fairy Tail. It was strange to think that the Black Wizard could actually do something good, but Mavis had admitted that it was a rather complicated time. Zeref had been attracted to the fighting she had explained.

Cana had theorized that the wizard had been attracted to more than that when Mavis had explained that Zeref basically gave her magic. It also made Makarov look a little disturbed, thinking back on his father and realizing there was a type of debt that he owed the wizard for protecting his parents.

“Don’t take on burdens that aren’t your own.” Mavis had advised, but she seemed to be saying that to the whole guild.

Gray could understand that. She had said the same thing to him, that E.N.D. wasn’t his burden to deal with. And yet, Gray didn’t mind. It wasn’t just for his father’s sake that he was after the demon. After all, he had defeated Delioria, that was his burden to his family both old and new.

If E.N.D. never appeared that wouldn’t be the worst for Gray. He wouldn’t waste his life on it like Lyon almost did over Delioria. No, it was a bonus if he managed to catch the wayward demon. After all, no one had seen it. The other demons from Zeref’s books had been sighted over and over again so E.N.D. was definitely something special.

He was shaken from his musings as he spotted Happy flying towards him quickly. He had taken refuge by the river because he couldn’t handle the way that the others were freaking themselves out about the pending battle. They were battle wizards, sure they were breaking about a hundred rules by preparing for war but this was for their _lives_ not for something as useless as money or other petty reasons.

“Warren received a message from Hibiki! Hargeon has been attacked!” The exceed tugged on his hair. “They say one mage took the whole port down with sand!”

“Sand?” Gray tucked that away as he stood to follow Happy back to the guild. “This is gonna be uncomfortable.”

* * *

X792 Outside the Sabertooth Guildhall

Rogue reached out and grabbed Yukino before she could be flung into a wall and gently set her back on her feet. He looked towards the front line where Sting was taking on a man that was using machine magic. They could probably do more damage if they weren’t attempting to evacuate the city at the same time, but these foreign mages seemed almost happy to murder bystanders.

It was sickening. 

Finally, finally, though Orga gave the all-clear and they could launch a true counter-attack. Taking his place at Sting’s side Rogue was prepared to unleash his shadows. No one was going to take over their town.

* * *

X792 Margret Town

It was a kind of magic that Lyon had never seen before but he wasn’t sure what to make of it. Even Jura seemed disturbed as the man, no creature before them threw curses at them. He had introduced himself as Bloodman which was ominous enough. 

It is bad enough that such a creature exists but as they managed to make headway against him thanks to Sheria’s healing magic it was obvious that they were in over their head with this type of magic. Even with one of the 10 Saint Wizards on their side. 

It was with pain that Ooba called for a full retreat.

* * *

X792 Fairy Tail Guildhall

The first wave of assaults were not spelling out well for them. It was in the tightening around Erza’s lips or the narrowing of Jellal’s eyes. Margret Town had fallen and Sabertooth had barely scraped by. According to their communication, they had managed to defeat a mech type avatar but not the actual wizard behind it. 

Even Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel reported heavy causalities as well. As far as they could tell the invading force wasn’t very large. In fact, Sabertooth and Lamia Scale only fought one wizard each. It was what they had expected.

The problem was no one seemed to be regrouping to Magnolia for the counter-attack like they should have been.

“My, my when Lord Zeref mentioned that we would be fighting for the fabled Fairy Heart again I hadn’t expected to be able to reach the guild so easily.” A man spoke as he opened the doors and entered the guild.

Jellal was standing before anyone else. “You.”

The way the word was spit left the other surprised. Jellal was not usually one to lose his cool so quickly in battle, even when he was ‘evil’ he hadn’t been so quick to anger.

“Me?” The man tilted his head to the side. “Oh! I remember you.”

The man in question titled his head to the side. He walked past Jellal but the former Magic Council member didn’t move. 

“I suppose that I should introduce myself. My name is Jacob Lessio and you all are going to die.” He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers.

Jellal jerked in surprise and spun around to counter the magic but without meteor active, he was too slow. Three-quarters of Fairy Tail guild disappeared and Jacob looked surprised.

“Oh. So maybe some of these mages are worth a fight.” He looked at Jellal the other man seething. “Although the women in this guild leave something to be desired.”

It was obvious in the disdainful way that he quickly passed his eyes over Mirajane and Lucy. Lucy glared at him. “You use spatial magic. Which could affect most of the members but some of us have protection.”

“Protection?” He stared Lucy down at that.

“Celestial Mages use spatial magic.” She crossed her arms. “Did you really come here without researching your targets?”

He apparently did, Gray thought as he felt Loke’s protection retract before the mage appeared beside Lucy. They were down to only 6 people. It hit Gray with an angry pang to realize that Natsu had been sucked away with the others. Erza was another mage that basically used a form of spatial magic though it only affected herself and Loke had been able to grab Gray.

“Your tricks only work so far.” Jellal stated as he shifted into meteor.

The added speed was a good asset but not enough. It was as if their advisory, Jacob could disappear. It hadn’t occurred just how overwhelming fighting Jacob might be until the first injury when Lucy was cut on the arm.

“This is infuriating!” Erza growled as she knelt by the younger woman and pressed a bandage to her arm. “His knives are surely the only part worth worrying about.”

“Any plans?” Gray shouted across the room. “He has a shit ton of hostages if you count the rest of the guild!”

“Don’t remind me.” Jellal responded as he shifted his stance. 

It was easy to forget how powerful Jellal was when he was acting like an idiot, Gray thought idly as the other man shifted his attack style. Heavenly Body Magic was only Jellal’s _primary_ magic. The bind snake managed to wrap around Jacob but was mostly ineffective.

Gray realized though, it had a distinct feeling and his slayer magic could lock on it. It was easy to land a hit on the man and send him flying back into real-time. _Why the fuck was he faster than meteor?_ With the lock Gray finally got on him by closing his eyes, he used instant freeze to stop him.

“Well fuck.” Jellal stated as he shifted his stance back. “That is most certainly one way to do it.”

“We’ve all grown.” Erza stated proudly and Loke agreed. “Now we just have to get the others back.”

“Now that he can’t actively manipulate space I should be able to take care of that!” Lucy stated as she pulled out Gemini’s key. “We can look for the spatial pocket he used and bring the others back.”

While Lucy was figuring that out, Erza and Jellal are talking quietly and that leaves Gray with a distinctive Natsu shaped hole beside him. He hadn’t expected for a wizard that could literally disappear others like this. Although, they had been warned the Spriggan wizards were something else. And were generally reported to have mages much stronger than anyone in Fiore.

Gray tended to think powerful was a state of mind. He had defeated powerful wizards before. Natsu had pulled magical ideas and strategies _out of his ass_ and won against supposedly better mages. But maybe this time, they really were outclassed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... I might have some bad news? I might not be posting for the next 2 weeks. Basically I was working on other things and forgot to work on this so... I need to build up a backlog.
> 
> So depending on inspiration and time, I’ll start posting again soon and this time the story will be finished so all I will have to worry about is editing. (And the next story I will write since I can’t help myself)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say a two week wait? Uh... I’ll pretend that January 24th to now is 2 weeks. To be honest I don’t know what happened. Either way! Back to regular updating so yay!
> 
> Also! You came for lore, so gather round!

X792 Sabertooth Guild

If there was one thing that Sting hated about the aftermath of a battle was clean up. He didn’t mind helping and he was honestly always happy to help but this time it was his town that had been trashed and he had a mad desire to beat the prisoner simply because he was tired of the mess.

How on earth did Fairy Tail rebuild their guild so many times and Master Makarov not go crazy?

The machine that they had managed to defeat had been well, full of arrogance was a good way to put it. Wall Eehto was honestly the strongest opponent that they had ever faced so far. It had taken almost every strong mage within Sabtertooth to take him down.

And the injuries were extreme.

The Twin Dragons as well as Yukino and Minerva were supposed to have been off to Magnolia by now but Sting didn’t want to admit he was a little nervous about leaving the guild without their protection. After all, the wizard that had controlled the machine was still out there. As he stood looking out over his city he was surprised when Rogue approached him.

“Still worried?” He asked, he had left Frosch behind, probably wanted to be a bit more serious.

“That was one of the Spriggan that we barely managed to defeat. And Lamia Scale lost to the one that came after them. I don’t want to say it but... I’m worried.”

Rogue slipped an arm around him and pulled Sting into him. This was their home, their guild. Tomorrow they would head to Magnolia to enact the next stage of this madcap plan. Rogue could feel the minute tremors running through Sting. 

“We’re gonna win. After all, we have all of Fiore on our side.”

* * *

X792 Magnolia

“The delays to the plan are fine.” Mavis stated as she sat, princess pretty on the bar of Fairy Tail. Their prisoner was caged in magic that Gajeel had liberated from the Magic Council during his time serving them. Now they were waiting for those that would be the front guard to arrive. “We have seen some of what the Spriggan 12 can do. Although the one that attacked Margret Town concerns me.”

“Concern?” Erza asked and Natsu leaned forward to pay attention.

“According to what Hibiki sent... his name is Bloodman and he uses curses instead of traditional magic. He might not be human. I might have to send out a task force for him. I don’t want those that haven’t fought Tartaros to deal with him.”

“The anti-magic particles? They weren’t used in Margret Town.” Mirajane stated but Mavis shook her head.

“It would also cause problems for his own people. He wouldn’t use it in a battle that he’s comfortable with. I think Gajeel and a set force should deal with him. Maybe Levy, Juvia and Elfman.”

“Don’t we need metalhead if Acnologia comes?” Gray stated but Mavis sighed.

“Aconologia’s first target is probably going to be Zeref. If not Zeref then the strongest dragon slayer he can find. That means that God Serena will be his first target.”

“That idiot?” Jellal groaned and then he sighed. “Oh right, that dumbass absorbed several dragon slayer lacrima to make his current power level. Not that he could defeat any of the 5 dragons but I guess he’ll work as a good distraction for a few seconds.”

“The five dragons?!” All the present dragon slayers turned to face him and Jellal could have smacked himself.

“It’s... not really what you think. And well, not really a secret either but I guess no one every really talked about it. On the northern continent Gultina has what is called the 5 Dragon Gods.”

“Are they dragons?” Natsu asked with excitement.

“They are.” That was Guildarts who answered looking tired all of a sudden. “They aren’t really dangerous and well they are more powerful than Acnologia. They are the only ones known to have survived the dragon ages.”

“Is this some kind of special secret?” Gray asked as he looked at the grimace on Jellal’s face and the thoughtful expression on Guildart’s.

“Not really.” Jellal stated with a shrug. “Some times mages go after them for glory but they are extremely powerful... to the level of a god and mostly just reside over their own tiny kingdoms. They prefer isolation and tend to not bother the politics of people.”

“Could there be other dragons?” Natsu asked vibrating with excitement.

“Of course.” That was Mavis. “They’ve become rather secretive creatures sadly. And none live on Ishgal because Acnologia is too territorial.”

“So all this time... some people knew about these dragons?” That was Wendy looking at Jellal with something like betrayal on her face.

“Not really?” He looked at Guildarts for a save and the older man sighed.

“Well, the people on the Northern continent half worship... or don’t bother them at all. They... aren’t like your dragons. Or Acnologia even.”

“Exactly.” The voice wasn’t a member of Fairy Tail and even Makarov was taken by surprise. At the door stood one of the few remaining members of Jellal’s time as a member of the Magic Council.

“Yajima?!” The small former Council member used his magic to slip up to the bar, he gave a thin smile and looked to Mirajane who got him a drink.

“The 5 dragons are not really our concern right now, are they?” He looked around the guild. “Did you really think that you could keep it quiet that the Spriggan 12 are on the move? Especially the explosive way they took apart Hargeon Port.”

There was a collective grimace, but Yajima continued as if he didn’t see it. “We’re lucky this time, they don’t have the full might of Alveraz behind them so we might be able to waylay must of the damage to the main country. I worry for Magnolia though. If Fairy Tail is their target like last time there are no major weapons that the Magic Council has to scare them away.”

“Those weapons were dumb anyway.” Natsu pointed out as he leaned against Gray. “In fact half of them would have hurt us more than the enemy.”

The two former Council members shrugged and looked at each other with almost derision. Yajima didn’t quite forgive Jellal for what happened during his tenure as an official member and the blue haired man wasn’t really sure that he deserved forgiveness anyways.

Either way, Fairy Tail wasn’t a place that couldn’t stay silent for even the tiniest stretches of time and the general noise began to rouse as people talked about plans and the incoming battles that everyone knew was coming. It was something that Natsu usually enjoyed but right now it caused an itch under his skin that he felt he couldn’t reach.

He stood up rather quickly and headed for the exit. As he marched to the river he wasn’t surprised to find Happy soon flying alongside him. Not long after he settled down to look at over the water, Gray was shuffling to sit down beside him.

“It’s about to get real chaotic around here. That idiot that the Rune Knights took away wasn’t even one of their stronger members it seems like.” The taller man rolled his shoulders and Natsu nodded in agreement.

A silence settled between them, something that seemed to happen a lot these days. After a few moments, Natsu slid a hand over and took Gray’s. Happy floated lazily around for a few minutes before settling onto Natsu’s head. After a few moments the quiet was broken but only briefly.

Lucy collapsed on one side and Erza on the other. The five were soon joined by Wendy who leaned against the red head with a quiet sight. It seemed that the silence would stretch on forever at one point, but there were certain truths, just like the sun would rise.

“So... anyone wanna talk about why Jellal just acts like he belongs here?” Natsu finally broke the silence.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Gray grumbled but it was Erza that gave him a real answer.

“Crime Sorcière has been working with Fairy Tail for a while now.” Erza at least had the humility to look embarrassed as she said it. “They also watched out for the members and kept them connected for the most part during the year we were disbanded. Even Cobra and Gajeel managed to become something like friends during that time.”

“They never contacted me.” Gray pointed out.

“Or me.” Lucy pouted but Wendy giggled.

“Jellal and Meredy would come and visit me sometimes at Lamia Scale to update me on the others.”

“You four don’t really need someone to watch out for you.” Erza squeezed Wendy gently and looked out over the river. “It started as a favor for me... Everyone... Everyone in Fairy Tail has some kind of darkness and I was worried it might consume them.”

The silence that surrounded them after that felt almost oppressive. It was a quiet truth, but now it had taken on a new meaning. After all, the darkness of Fairy Tail itself was about to be dragged out into the light.

* * *

X792 Mt. Hakone

A woman with blood red hair stood on the side of Mt. Hakone with her two companions beside her. The wind was cold but the great sorceress didn’t feel it at all. She was looking with intention in the direction of Magnolia City.

“I wonder what Zeref is planning with all of this.” It wasn’t a question for her companions but more to muse to herself.

She had been concerned when the Emperor had returned and even more confused when he had decided that they had to attack Fiore again. It hadn’t gone over well and now they resided in exile.

She was no stranger to such thing. The thing that confused her was these schemes that her leader had hatched. There was no wizard on this continent that could hurt her, or August for that matter. Brandish μ could probably destroy the whole country before anyone knew it. Although her power now took a large toll on her. Many of their members hadn’t come out of the rebellion unscathed.

“Is it because you think the Emperor doesn’t want to win?” Juliet Sun asked quietly and she turned to her sharply.

“And what makes you think that, little one?” Her tone was downright frosty.

“He looks sad. I know that his goal is Acnologia but that is your descendent. Shouldn’t Acnologia be your problem?” The other girl, Heine Lunasea asked quietly but received no answer.

It was something that had often been posed by the other members of the Spriggan 12 and during the rebellion had been a rather large sticking point. The other guilds had seen no reason to fight for such a goal and couldn’t imagine putting their resources into it.

Irene could have won the battle but Zeref had told her to back down. Had told them all to back down. She found herself worrying that her two swords were right.

“Maybe you are right. If that’s so, we should make sure that we win. After all, like you said. Acnologia is _my_ problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh! Before I go, I should also mention. This fic will most likely will be finished next month and I might update more than often. I may or may not have mentioned that I currently live in Japan and with Coro-chan causing so many problems...
> 
> I should not be so flippant but for two weeks schools are closed and then spring holidays start and also a lot of my work has been cancelled so to avoid roaming gangs of bored children I am basically going to mostly stay in my house for the month and write. So silver lining I guess? I’mma say yes.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t lie! An update!

X792 Magnolia

The guild had fallen into utter stillness when Rogue and Sting entered. It surprised the Sabertooth guildmaster to hear Fairy Tail quiet for even a minute but he imagined that they were not quite what they were expecting. 

More to the point, this was not what _he_ was expecting. At the bar was, what appeared to be strategy planning. It consisted of most of the group they affectionately called “Team Tenroujima” as well as Jellal of all people. Needless to say, he wasn’t sure what to make of this.

But Sting was always quick on his feet and approached the bar without much fanfare. He shuffled so that he was sitting beside Natsu and Rogue was quick to make room for himself as well. Sting might have been the master but Rogue was definitely the brains of their guild.

He could sense Minerva and Yukino connecting with other members. Even when the noise level regained its usual vigor it was obvious that everyone was tense.

“So... we’re sure that guy who attacked us wasn’t a Spriggan.” Sting stated without any fanfare and Jellal cursed.

“Of course it wasn’t. Also welcome to the most confusing strategy meeting you’ll ever witness.”

“We’ve dealt with a lot of strange.” Rogue commented and Jellal shrugged.

“Our best strategist is someone that only Fairy Tail members can see. It is... illuminating.” The blue haired man seemed put out but his eyes were hopelessly fond.

“Can’t do anything about that.” Natsu shrugged and Gray beside him copied the movement. 

“So then what is our next move?” Sting asked as he leaned but Erza shook her head.

“We are waiting to hear back from Margaret Town.”

“Wasn’t that... taken?” Sting wasn’t sure how to put it delicately but he remembered at the last moment that Gray’s brother’s guild was in that town. That had to hurt.

“Yes.” Erza jumped into the void of silence. “They managed to mostly evacuate. When we get the all clear we are sending a force to take down that Spriggan. After that, we have to deal with the ports.”

“Sabertooth is willing to do that.” Sting put forth immediately. “They are after Fairy Tail’s whatever right? That’s what you told us. How many members can you spare honestly?”

“Our goal is that they don’t reach Magnolia.” Gray pointed out but then shook his own head at his words. “You’re right though. They are a small group and they definitely have a great movement advantage. It’s obvious they all have powerful magics.”

“Well, so do we!” Sting protested but Makarov sighed.

“It’s pretty obvious that we are mostly outmatched. They probably learned their magic from Zeref themselves.”

“And get this!” Natsu sent a glare at Jellal and Makarov. “Apparently they were hiding the existence of still living dragons from us.”

The twin dragons both sat up at that but Rogue being the more pragmatic of the two put a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “That’s for after this mess is finished.”

Sting grumbled but he knew that his other half was right. It wouldn’t do well to get distracted by dragons that were obviously not on this continent and beside there was a dragon to deal with and he was a nasty fuck. They all looked between each other and then Natsu sighed, realizing he wasn’t going to get the reaction that he wanted.

“Yeah, so pressing matters.” He waved his hand and leaned on Gray. “The ports and Margaret Town.”

Lucy was the one to roll her eyes this time but it became apparent when their secret tactician was speaking because the Fairy Tail members became more alert while all Sting could do was look at Jellal who shrugged helplessly.

“Their master strategist is their first master.” There was an a strange kind of reverence in his voice, a kind of respect that Sting wasn’t sure he’d heard uttered in these halls before.

“I understand master.” Erza was nodding firmly, and casting a look around the others. “It would make sense. Master, it would be our best bet to have Fairy Law available at least to deal with any... disturbances.”

“But Fairy Law is...” Gray trailed off looking troubled and then look at the others. “I mean they are as good as family at this point.”

There was a long silence and then Makarov spoke up. “I guess... You are our sister guilds and already know more of our secrets than most. This guild has well... intimate ties to Zeref. Our great magics have influence from him.”

Jellal looked about to say something but Erza shook her head and he allowed the older man to continue.

“It sounds worse than it is. Zeref is well versed in more than just living magic and black magic. In his time of... lucidity, he trained Mavis and other members of what would become Fairy Tail in magic.” At this Makarov paused and then sighed sadly. “But over 400 years is too long of a time for anyone to live.”

“So we are fighting the Black Wizard Zeref?” Rogue asked and it was Mirajane that shrugged in response.

“We are... but the reason that Zeref has turned his back on a guild he basically helped build is because he wants Fairy Heart. The body of the first master.” Makarov looked to the empty space that was their master tactician and finally continued. “Her comatose body was stored in a lacrima by the second master, where it became a vastly powerful source of magic. Second master and I have kept this a secret for years on end.”

“It was the basis of Grimore Heart’s... Heart.” Erza added. “Unlike the weapons of the Council, Fairy Heart isn’t weaponized. Nor have we ever used it.”

“And why does Zeref want it... want her?” Sting could feel the confusion clouding over them, this was far more than he expected.

“At first I thought it was do to his cold war with Acnologia, it is partially why he built things like the Alveraz Empire and trained up other wizards. The point of the Spriggan 12 was to actually be wizards to help in the fight but now I don’t know.”Makarov shook his head.

“Wait... if all of that was for Acnologia then what the hell were the demons for?” Sting asked incredulously.

“If Mard Geer is to be believed they were created to kill Zeref.” Gray scratched his arm. “That stupid Momento Mori spell barely hurt a demon slayer, I can’t imagine it would do much to a wizard like that.”

“Wait.... Zeref is functionally immortal? I thought he was dead. You, tried to revive him!” Sting pointed wildly at Jellal who flinched but forced himself to sit up straight.

“Many of us were under the impression that Zeref was ‘dead’ or ‘sleeping’ and were further manipulated by dark wizards or the darkness of our own mind. Most of the things written about Zeref are incorrect. From what I’ve learned in my time of eradicating dark guilds is that we were all wrong. Zeref spends most of his time hiding and inventing.”

Jellal continued further. “In fact, until this decision to actively come after Fairy Heart of his own accord he had been content in letting the world do what it wanted and occasionally interfering at random.”

“Then what changed?” Natsu asked and that is where Jellal looked confused.

“That is the mystery we are trying to solve.” Levy stated as she sat up straighter. “The problem is that much of the documentation of the time that Zeref was originally alive is hard to find, or has been destroyed. And the two times that we encountered dragons that would have been alive during that time... well, we didn’t exactly have enough time to pick their brains about it. If they would have even cared about that part of human affairs.”

“Why would dragons know?” Wendy asked quietly and Levy smiled at her gently.

“Zeref was born before the Dragon King Festival. This is as far as we can tell a time of vast magical discovery, including the beginnings of many types of slayer magic. Mostly likely due to the war.” Levy sighed softly. “But it’s hard to know exactly if Zeref would have been involved enough for dragons to even know him.”

“They know of him.” Natsu suddenly spoke as he shifted away from Gray uncomfortably. “E.N.D. and many of the other demons that Zeref created had to exist around that time. Igneel encountered E.N.D.”

“And I guess couldn’t defeat him?” Rogue asked troubled.

“I’m not sure.” Natsu admitted quietly. “If Zeref can be trusted he said that Igneel made a choice of whether to let the demon live or not. Is there any record of attacks by this demon? Most have a legend or history or something.”

“Nothing.” Jellal stated. “The book has appeared a few times in history but never has it been opened or at least, the demon has never done a large scale attack.”

“So basically a lot of this isn’t adding up.” Lucy stated with a huff of frustration. “Our main concern is Zeref coming for Fairy Heart. Another concern is if the battle scale will be large enough to attract Acnologia which is part of Zeref’s goal. And a third is if E.N.D. somehow comes into play.”

“...is there another known dragon graveyard?” Wendy suddenly interjected. “Or a village that has a strong tie to a dragon like the Sun Village?”

“Why?” Gajeel asked and then paused. “That spell... what was it?”

“Milky Way. I used it to talk to Zirconis and to Atlas Flame.”

“That’s a bit of a wild goose chase.” Erza stated quietly. “Also those that we encounter might also only have battle memory.”

“There is a place that we can try though.” Jellal spoke as he thought carefully. “Crocus is the site of the largest battle of the Dragon King Festival. But there is one other place that would hold enough... latent souls.”

“And where would that be?” Wendy asked with excitement.

“The ruins of the Dragnof Kingdom... The grave of Belserion the originator of dragon slayer magic.” He tilted his head. “It’s not terribly far from Crocus.”

“I’d like to go there with a small team.” Wendy stated. “It might not help with Zeref but it will help with Acnologia. We can’t afford to continually be caught off guard by him.”

It wasn’t terribly hard to come to a decision about this. And with that in mind, Wendy along with Jellal and Lisanna set out for the ruins. In that time, Sabertooth would engage in a battle with the forces that had taken Margret Town. Gajeel and another task force was sent out to face Bloodman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooooo, more and more lore! Also I gotta get my Big Bang up sometime soon. And yes, that was another chapter extension. I should have thought a bit harder about how I wanted to do Alveraz before I decided on a chapter count. So... It’ll be something. But once again, the end is near and there will be weekly updates.


	18. Chapter 18

Wendy wasn’t sure of what she was expecting when they arrived at the ruins of the Dragnoff Kingdom but it wasn’t this. The place had been kept behind one of the Magic Council’s barriers to preserve what was left of it according to Jellal as he used his clearance for admittance. She was always astounded that none of his access had changed since his deflection but then again the Magic Council had been destroyed twice since then.

The ruins were a castle with surprisingly large archways and even a few strange platforms. She had a feeling those were more for the dragons, they were always open in a way that she could imagine Grandeeney landing on. Beside her, Lisanna seemed to be astonished by the sheer size of things.

Part of her wished that Levy had come, the scholar would have loved this but she was definitely needed elsewhere. On the other hand, Jellal walked forward with a simple purpose. He had admitted in quiet tones to having been here before, to _hide_. 

When they reached the throne room, or what was left of it, Wendy knew they were in the right place to find any sort of spirit. The energy here felt right. The same way it had beneath Crocus, the way it had felt in the Sun Village. She cast the spell but found herself surprised by the sheer power of what she had called forth.

The dragon before her wasn’t like Atlas Flame’s faltering weakness from the Demon Slayer attack or Zirconis’ simmering rage hidden under strange humor. No this dragon reminded her of the scant moments she had spent in the presence of Igneel the Fire Dragon King. 

“Dragon Slayers have somehow gotten even tinier since my time in Ishgar.” The large dragon commented and then tilted his head forward. “I am Belserion, the Sage Dragon and protector of Queen Irene the first Dragon Slayer. Who might you be?”

“I am Wendy Marvell daughter of Grandeeney. I would rise but the magic of this spell requires much of me.”

“You are quite human to be the daughter of The Sky Dragon. But I am not one to critique her choices. And your friends?”

“Lisanna of Fairy Tail.”

“Jellal Fernandes.” He tilted his head in respect. “We came to ask you about two affairs if it were possible.”

“To come to me... I assume that one is matter is about dragons. Which makes me feel a tinge of regret. We fought hard against the foreign dragons even at the risk of make slayers.”

“I understand.” Jellal spoke quietly. “In this time though, only one dragon is worrisome. His name is Acnologia.”

“There is not dragon by that name in my time. There was a slayer though. A brutal one who killed any dragon regardless of affiliation.” The dragon looked troubled. “In our desire to win the war, we were not careful with who we bestowed the magic on. It saddens me to hear that even now he is a problem.”

“The second matter we aren’t sure you would know about. Does the name Zeref mean anything to you?” 

“I must say that I don’t know much. He was pretty famous for inventing magics that were considered... unorthodox. A man obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. Supposedly the human god Ankhseram saw his ideas as unholy and cursed him. The Curse of Contradiction is a nasty matter that I assume only a god could create.” The dragon looked troubled for a moment and then shook himself. “It is what the scholars and mages of the kingdom spoke about often as we worked on Slayer magic. The risk of offending a god.”

At the confused looks on Lisanna and Wendy’s face’s Jellal sighed softly. “Ankhseram is an old god. He reigned over Black Magic as well as life and death. It was said in old times when new magics seemed to be created every day that he decided which magics were under the dominion of humans and those of the gods.”

“That is correct young Jellal.” The sage dragon nodded. “All magics have a cost. Some big and some small. The magics that Zeref dealt with caught the eyes of Ankhseram or so the rumors said. After all, it is impossible to know. Everyone at Mildian Magic Academy perished except Zeref Dragneel who disappeared.”

All three of the jerked. “Wait... Zeref’s last name... is Dragneel?!’ Lisanna spoke.

“Something else I assume that was lost to time. I doubt it is important.” Belserion shook his head. “My time grows short as it is. As for the first matter Aconologia. We had not considered the cost or the idea that the power might be overwhelming. Acnologia was once my comrade and lost sight of the fight. To kill him would be a mercy.”

“But you think we can’t do it.” Wendy stated when the dragon paused.

“As you are no.” He sighed deeply. “You are already very powerful young one but even as powerful as the three of you are before me... You haven’t gotten anywhere near your potential. And Acnologia has had centuries to grow.”

“Do you really think it’s hopeless?” Lisanna asked, her fist curled but the dragon shook his head.

“I said as you are now.” He tilted his head down. “Unfinished training will not allow you to slay one dragon let alone the monster that Acnologia has become. I do not have the time to explain everything in words. But I can pass the knowledge to you, little one if you are will to pass it to your brothers and sisters? What you must do will be painful and I am not sure you are of the age to do it. But surely there is a slayer older than you?”

“What does that even mean?” Lisanna asked, a wrinkle of confusion in her brow.

“All cultures have a point of adulthood. A rite of passage. That’s what he’s referring to.” Jellal stated. “Wendy is our youngest and the keeper of Dragon lore. She should be the one to attain the knowledge.”

The dragon nodded. “I trust that you will be careful about who this knowledge is shared with?”

Wendy nodded firmly and the dragon smiled as gently as it could. “I have waited centuries to pass on this knowledge. When the winds no longer spoke of Dragon Slayers I thought I would be waiting for an eternity. I can rest easy now. Thank you little one.”

* * *

Gray stared at the battle maps that had been laid out of Mavis and the others to look over the current state of Fiore. There was so much that could be done but he wasn’t sure of it there was any way to turn the tide. Sabertooth had been dispatched and it was only a matter of time before the next dispatches happened. The problem was that Gray hated waiting. Even now Zeref hadn’t entered the field and they had no way of knowing just how many they were up against.

His worst worry was still E.N.D. It seemed that there was no information to be had on the demon but there had to be something that made it different from the others. Mard Geer had called him the leader of Tartaros but the other had never shown himself.

Part of Gray hoped that he never did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right! I almost forgot to do this because I was so focused on my Big Bang fic but I managed to remember! Also, as I mentioned last time I am mostly finished but I wanted to actually wrap up the FT storyline in this fic and didn’t realize quite how much shit Mashima left laying around which is why the extension.
> 
> ...Full disclosure we are not going to do everything he did, I have other shit to work on. But I will create a conclusion to the two major parts that I have entertained ie. the Spriggan and Acnologia. As you probably guessed it will not go the way the manga did but bear with me if it’s not an ending you envisioned.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... long time no see! Sorry for being well.. nonexistent for a months!
> 
> Some of it was money worries due to the virus and then well... My hometown is Louisville, Kentucky which I think might explain enough of that sooooo
> 
> I know that’s not what you are here for but in case I don’t keep steadily updating it’s probably another depression bout with all that’s happening.

Zeref had to say that he was a bit disappointed in the turn of events that were going down. It was one thing to be without the army and power that he had amassed in his errant country. It was another thing to be still be woefully unprepared. He had counted on all of Ishgal to band together to fight him and that didn’t happen the way he wanted it to.

He had also expected the members of his team to heed his directions which is where the trouble had really come in. The Spriggan 12 while in the old days had been much more obedient the few times that he had visited his country but now it seemed they were not all on board with his plans.

He had expected Irene to go off on her own, she would do her own thing as usual but she would still act with his plans and ideas in mind. It was Wall, Ajeel and God Serena that were worrying him. Wall because he took nothing serious enough and Ajeel because he seemed much more into glory.

God Serena was just an idiot to be frank and that was enough to throw any good plan off, Zeref knew that for a fact. He had also planned for that accordingly. The problem was, that he was no Mavis Vermillion.

The one he hadn’t suspected to entertain his own ideas and to be fair, this was one of his most loyal. One that had never questioned his authority but now Invel Yura, one of his staunchest supporters was not only questioning his plans in secret. No, now the other was challenging him openly and pushing him to lure Acnologia too early.

“What do we even need Fairy Heart for?” The other pushed as he looked over the battle plans. “There is no need for it if we have as much power as you believe. Also, Irene is the origin of dragon slayer magic. Surely she can take out a dragon that isn’t even powerful enough to take out The Great Five.”

Zeref shook his head and pushed away from the table. “Surely you are joking. At no point Invel have I said that you lot were powerful enough to take on Acnologia. If you were, Irene would have done it years and years ago. And The Five Dragon Gods are on a different level all together. Each is the progeny of Dragon Royalty, not a made shapeshifter. Left alone they have gathered more and more power over the years... As has our target.”

“Honestly Invel... what does it matter? Our job is to do things Zeref’s way and we’ve trusted him so far? What’s a few months more?” Brandish looked over from her cot. “If it was simply about destroying everything I would have been dispatched by myself.”

“As if you could take out all of Ishgal without great cost to yourself.” Ajeel snorted.

“I could before the rebellion.” She hissed and then stood up and grabbed her cane. “I got these wounds for you, you ungrateful—“

“Peace.” August looked over at the both of them with derision. “Your squabbling does nothing but disturb us. We are out numbered and have suffered a fair amount considering what happened in the rebellion. It is better that we follow a sound strategy and not fail.”

“Exactly.” Zeref rolled his shoulders. “Fairy Tail is in possession of not only Fairy Heart but also of Mavis the Fairy Tactician. We will have to tread carefully.”

*******************

Natsu could admit that he was getting anxious to fight. The Jacob Lassio fight had done nothing for him, considering that he hadn’t actually been apart of it. He had been desperate to get out there but he knew the risk. He had considered that maybe Mavis was playing things close to her chest but her new strategy was bold with the knowledge that they had gotten back from Wendy.

They would send out teams to track down the remaining 11 Spriggans and hopefully engage them by one equal footing and magic power. It wasn’t hard to glean information of who they were and hopefully Sabertooth would encounter one. After all, Erza and Jellal had been sent out to back them up.

Natsu thought that was over kill. Each of them could probably take on a Spriggian by themselves if they tried hard enough. Although, he supposed to that just this once he could understand caution if it really must be taken.

Levy and Gajeel’s team were sent out to find and take out Bloodman. By far the most dangerous Spriggan that had been put into play so far. Mirajane was being sent out with a squad on reconnaissance. Finally Laxus and The Raijinshuu were tasked with looking for God Serena.

Which mainly left Natsu’s team still on defense and he hated it with a passion. There was nothing to be done, Mavis’ word was law. Even if he tired to sneak out, Gray or Lucy would rat on him instead of helping him out. Which sucked even more.

“There’s been a sighting!” Warren yelled from his post, hand pressed to his head. “Hibiki is relaying a message about a Spriggan who is... attempting to summon Acnologia.”

“And where might that be happening?” Makarov turned with a frustrated look on his face.

“In Era! God Serena has unleashed a well of magic in Era sure to attract the dragon!”

*************

“You mean to tell me that God Serena has done **what**?” The lilt to Zeref’s voice spoke of a danger that Neinhart wasn’t sure he wanted to court but he had to report what the scouts had said.

“It seems he has gone to the Magic Seat of Ishgal and set off a magic reservoir by kill many of the prisoners there... including Jacob according to the survivors of his team.”

“How did he even sidetrack to...” Zeref rolled his eyes. “That idiot thinks a few dragon lacrima are enough to replace actual dragon power. If Acnologia comes than he can most certainly take care of that eyesore for me.”

“You think the dragon will come?” Neinhart asked quietly.

“Probably... and if he does that idiot is as good as dead. Rely to the others to continue their movements but do it a bit more.... quietly. We don’t want to attract too much attention and cause Acnologia to think of that as more than a one off.”

“Yes sire... but?”

“Acnologia is attracted to two things, dragons and strong wells of power. Especially if he thinks he can win. God Serena isn’t even the strongest member of of our team. He’s as good as dead. Now get moving!”

“Yes sire!” The other turned and moved at a pace that could probably be qualified as scurrying in terror. A mad Zeref did have the ability to unleash the death curse after all.

* * *

Larcade is almost intoxicated with the ease in which his power has allowed him to dispatch his enemies. He had known that his powers of ‘pleasure’ were far too difficult for the average human to deal with. And these low level Ishgal mages were just so easy to do away with. He dearly hoped his father would give him a challenge soon.

And give a challenge he did. The relay from base told him of his next target and he could almost feel himself shiver with a pleasure that he rarely felt. He was given the honor of apprehending his uncle and the demon slayer. He had long to test his ‘white’ powers again such ‘black’ powers. After all, who was really the best?

* * *

Neinhart had wanted to be sincerely glad about being able to leave base and leave behind an enraged Zeref but he had not really wanted to be dispatched with Wall Eehto. The other was eccentric at best and well.... a liability at worst. Not that Wall wasn’t intelligent, he loved to experiment and test. He often didn’t even care if he won or lost a battle as long as he learned something Neinhart liked decisive victories.

And yet here they would, heading to Hargeon Port to deal with the insurgency there. He wasn’t even sure if there was a real need to hold the port since they didn’t have a major landing force. But he was of half a mind that it had more to do with Acnologia than with the current battle.

All the pieces were almost in place and accounted for. The question now was, what would happen when the dice was rolled?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying this even with the slight lack of romance happening right now. Part of it is that even though I am bad at it I love writing action, lore and fantasy sooooo anyways. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you next time!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, once again long time no see. I mean, this fic is finished I am just editing this in the slowest way possible and I apologize cause it’s probably not even a good editing job. I say this mostly so you know that while it will take a while, this story will be fully posted!
> 
> Also there is more coming for Keep Magnolia Weird but once again, slow as fuck about that too.

Gray, to be honest has met his fair share of weirdos over the years working as a battle mage. And while this new guy didn’t take the cake, he _did_ fill Gray’s quota for the week. His smug face made Gray want to punch him extra hard. Natsu and Gray had been out to do a sweep of Magnolia to check and see if there were any disturbances. They were part of Fairy Tail’s protection team according to Mavis. It sucked, but they trusted her orders.

This guy though, he wished Zeref had kept him.

“I have been given the honor of fighting you. But I don’t want it to end too quickly.” The unknown mage’s ability to keep a completely peaceful composure was just calling for Gray’s fist to meet his face.

From the grunt of frustration he’d heard, Natsu was feeling the same urge. It wasn’t that the other mage was fast. It was that he wasn’t fighting back. Maybe what he said was true, and he was just wasting time.

* * *

Ezra would like to say that it had been a joy to be fighting alongside Sabertooth and Jellal on this day but as she looked around the ruins of the once lively port town she had a feeling that there would be nothing but a sense of regret. The two before them had been Spriggans and the cost for taking them down had almost been too great.

She leaned heavily against Jellal and on the other side of him, Sting and Rogue looked worse for wear but they were alive.

“Can we... never do this again?” Sting breathed out as he looked over at the other two. “I kind of like my secrets you know... secret.”

“I agree.” Jellal stated with a grimace. “It’s one thing to know you failed and another to see it.”

Ezra squeezed his arm, seeing Simon again had to have been just as hard on him as it was on her. She looked over at the setting sun and sighed deeply.

“It is good though. We have two less enemies to worry about.”

“We should take the time to recover.” Rogue stated as he hefted Sting up. “And contact Fairy Tail to let them know the good news.”

* * *

Irene had thought that she would have a bit more time to prep her plans when the dragon Acnologia appeared before her. She had decided to check in on the others but the dragon had appeared before her in all his perverse glory.

“Another one who smells so deeply of dragons.” The creature hissed as he landed before her. “More powerful than the last.”

“I take it that God Serena is no longer apart of this world?” She commented as she thought fast of a way to delay this confrontation. She had to ensure that Zeref’s plans could come to fruition before she took on the dragon. After all, she wasn’t sure if Zeref could complete his plans without her. She had to repay that debt first.

“A human disguised in dragon magic could never manage to defeat me.” He gave her a feral smile. “But I am sure you are very different from that insignificant one.”

“You know... you could learn to use modern speech.” She rolled her eyes and shifted her stance. “Universe One!”

The spell was instantaneous as it morphed the landscape of Ishgal. Unfortunately, Irene didn’t have the time to move all the players into the key spots that she wanted. Hopefully though, Zeref would be in prime position to retrieve Fairy Heart and she could gather the minions she needed to take on the dragon once and for all.

She just hoped it was enough.

* * *

Wendy couldn’t help but reach for Sherria’s hand. They hadn’t even been near each other before whatever spell had been cast. And yet here they were far from their guilds. The woman before them wasn’t anyone they had seen before. She wore majestic armor and was definitely powerful, probably one of the Spriggans that Mavis had been searching for.

“So Irene thinks me so weak that she sets two little girls before me?” She rolled her shoulders. “I guess it’s a fitting warm up.”

Before either girl could think to attack, the felt as if they were frozen. The woman smiled at them brightly. “My name is Dimaria Yesta.”

She walked around them with an assessing look. When she came back to the front she drew out her sword and laid it at Wendy’s neck.

“I have always been one that has enjoyed suffering and looking between the two of you well... This one has so much more potential to be powerful. I think it’s a safe bet to kill her quickly and let the other linger. Don’t you think?”

“I would beg to differ.” A hand caught her by the throat and threw her backwards. “Although you did make a pretty good power assessment.”

The two girls fell forward at the sudden return of movement. They both gasped for breath as their savior came to stand between them and the enemy

“Urtear!” Wendy gasped as she pushed herself into a standing position. “How? We couldn’t find you—“

“It’s very difficult to find someone who doesn’t want to be found.” Urtear admitted quietly. “I haven’t yet finished paying the price for the magic I cast.”

“But you will. You’ll return right? Everyone misses you.” Wendy rushed forward and grabbed her hand.

“Oh what is this sob story? You should focus on the enemy.” Dimaria attempt to freeze all three of them but was confronted by Urtear’s own magic.

“There are two sides to magic.” The younger woman stated as she looked over Dimaria with disdain. “Raw talent and will. I find your will power to be lacking.”

“What? Who are you to think that you are more powerful than a Spriggian?! I am blessed with the power of Chronos!”

Urtear scoffed. “You are blessed by Chronos? I think not. Sadly, in my current state I can’t do much more then keep her from freezing your time. It will be up to the two of you to end her foolishness.”

“You sincerely think these two girls can beat me?” Dimaria asked with a snarl.

“You said it yourself didn’t you? Kill the one with greater potential.”

The other woman paused and really took in her opponents. “I had thought, that I wouldn’t need this. Zeref had assured me that this continent was full of nothing but weak wizards. This is a pleasant surprise.”

Urtear snorted but looked at where Wendy and Sherria were holding hands. With her support she was sure they could take the wizard before them. After all, Dimaria was right, potential was what was needed to win this battle. 

“It is not often that I get to do this.” Dimaria lifted her hands and cast a surprisingly strong summoning spell. 

“That’s a god soul spell!” Wendy gasped, the knowledge from Bersion informing her. She looked at Sherria and squeezed her hand. “It will take everything we have for this fight.”

The woman before them turned gold and black and her magic shined purely golden. Like the sands of time, Urtear realized with a bit of a start. This was not God Slayer magic. This was takeover magic.

She turned towards the two girls. There were two aces up her sleeves that could possible turn the tide of this battle. One, had the risk of ruining these girls’ lives and the other...

“No.” Wendy stated as she entered Dragon Force. “Whatever magic you are thinking of. Neither will have a place here.”

“You can’t think you’ll win.” Urtear spoke desperately.

“Sherria and I have two things that will make this work. Potential and love.” She grabbed the other girls hand and fused their powers together.

Urtear had to turn from the bright blinding light as Sherria ascended into a new form. Dragon God Slayer. Wendy collapsed to her knees as her friend stood tall. Sherria squeezed her friend and released it.

“How cute.” Dimaria or Chronos shifted her stance. “First for being imprudent. Age Scratch!”

Wendy seized next to her friend and Urtear dashed for her. The older woman gasped as the girl convulsed in her hands. Sherria looked at her friend, torn that even now she couldn’t block such an attack. Urtear shook her head.

“Stay in the fight.” She ordered and the girl nodded even as Wendy sobbed in pain. “The only way to do this is to end her spell.”

Sherria nodded and lifted her hands. She pressed forward, landing a solid blow on the older woman and sending her flying backwards. As they tangled across the battlefield with blows being traded it was obvious that Dimaria was slowly losing the upper hand.

“How is this possible?” Dimaria asked as she urgently cast a strengthening spell.

“Different slayers exist for different reasons.” Sherria stated as she jumped back to prepare another spell. “God Slayers exist to remove corrupt gods.”

“How dare you imply—“

“Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!” Sherria screamed, her most powerful attack.

Wendy gasped in surprise as the magic of the Age Scratch spell was lifted. The wind around Sherria turned black at the gathering of her power, much faster then the spell had been cast at the Grand Magic Games. Even the currents of magic around the field began to turn black, gathered into the residuals of her magical power.

“What is this?!” Dimaria gasped as her own magic began to recede.

“My power has passed judgement on the god within you and the corruption that you have caused. It will be removed!” Sherria growled and the spell was released, the sheer force of the whirlwind that the young girl had released might have been even more powerful then the magic imbued inside it.

The magic ripped through the blond woman and sent her flying backwards as thick tendrils of black and gold magic were ripped from her. Dimaria stood slowly after the spell’s fury was finished. Back in her original form, looking worse for wear she stared at the two girls.

“What are you?” She asked but Sherria, having used too much power was flagging and slowly sunk down to her knees as all the excess magic faded from her body.

“That... is the best that has ever worked.” She laughed softly as she turned towards Wendy.

“Hm.” The other girl smiled brightly.

“HOW RECKLESS!” Carla shrieked as she glared down at the two girls. “It took me ages to break into this space only to find you two using that ‘experimental’ fusion spell in a serious battle?!

Urtear couldn’t help but laugh as she watched the Exceed continue to yell at the two girls. Whatever magical space they were in was probably going to fade soon. She would have to say goodbye again. She was about to mention as much to Wendy when she noticed Dimaria staggering forward with her blade out.

“H-h-how dare two little girls—“

Urtear surged forward with the remains of her magic and grabbed the blade. She reversed it and stabbed the other woman in the stomach. “I won’t dirty the hands of little girls... but someone as backhanded as you shouldn’t live on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this installment. I am having fun writing this battles. I think I still haven’t regained my own ability to write fight scenes. I use to be better! Either way, big confrontations are coming and I am excited to get them up. As always I hope you enjoy~


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came back!

“Well that most certainly is a disappointment.” Irene commented as she took in the group before her. “I had thought that I had made those matchups at least entertaining and yet here we are.”

“What is that supposed to mean.” Laxus growled from where he was standing next to Mirajane Their team wasn’t exactly his ideal group of fighters but at least he knew that Mirajane and he could whip them into shape. Their enemy unfortunately was stronger than all of them combined.

“Two of mine have already fallen. At least the lot of you are entertaining enough.” She crossed her arms. “Maybe Zeref was blind to how far the development of magic in Ishgar has gone. I haven’t encountered a single wizard who relies purely on extracted power.”

“...extracted power?” Mirajane asked quietly and the woman tilted her head. 

“God Serena is my only knowledge of magic on this continent and most of his magical power came from absorbing dragon lacrima. I mean obviously that one has his own power but it is more of an accessory to his acquired power. I can tell, as a child you had more power than the constitution of your body could handle. The lacrima might have been what was keeping you alive then but it most certainly is not now.”

“Yay, you have the power of assessment.” Laxus rolled his eyes. He really needed Freed here right now, the script mage would definitely be a great help in a battle like this. After all, winning wasn’t an option but containment could happen.

“I mean... One as old as I am has obviously seen how others have developed magic. I wish I had studied Ishgar more.... my mistake.” She shrugged and looked at the two broken swords on the ground. “After all, you easily beat my guards.”

“Lady, you didn’t even need those guards.” Ren groaned and she laughed lightly.

“Naturally. Now, tell me. I have a few questions about the one named Ezra. In my time here I’ve learned a lot about her magical abilities and I am curious.”

“What would Ezra have to do with any of this?” Laxus wanted to be surprised at how protective Mirajane sounded but he honestly was just as concerned.

“At some point I am going to meet her and I want to make a good... no the best impression.” She leaned forward and smiled at them with malicious intent. “Maybe a few dead bodies will impress her?”

* * *

Zeref could only curse as he found himself standing on the other side of Fiore, further away from Fairy Tail then when he had started. He knew exactly why too, Irene was interfering again. Only she could have cast magic as powerful as Universe One. 

He was sure that this had more to do with her mad desire to keep him alive than to achieve their aims. He didn’t know what her end goal was for this but he had a few ideas. Ones that he definitely wouldn’t abide by.

After all, Irene might have been one of the strongest mages in all of Earthland, Zeref was still stronger. After all, he was the one that taught her the magic she now used.

* * *

“Well, well this is unexpected.” Sting and Rogue both pulled to a stop as they stared at their new opponent. At one point they had been alongside Ezra and Jellal about to head back to Fairy Tail and now they were outside... Margret Town? It was all very confusing but not as confusing as the person before them.

He was definitely a Spriggan, that was a given by the powerful aura coming from him. What Sting was confused by was not just his overwhelming power but something about his face seemed familiar to Sting, he just couldn’t place it.

“I take it we aren’t who you were looking for?” Yukino asked before anyone else could speak and the rival wizard shrugged.

“I don’t think that is the problem. After all, Miss Irene thought it best that I encounter you.” He lifted a hand. “Although this battle might be rather short.”

Sting grunted and stretched his arms over his head. “Haven’t heard that one before have we?”

“Not at all.” Lector responded with a laugh.

“Too bad your arrongance won’t be rewarded this time.” The man smiled. “Although I think you would benefit from knowing my name. I am Larcade Dragneel, a mage of pure white.”

“I mean if we are going to exchange titles.” Sting stated with a shrug as he looked towards Rogue. “We are the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth: Sting and Rogue.”

Larcade paused at that and contemplated them for a moment. Even now, his hand was still in the air, behind him the large cross that he bore on his back lifted into the air. Sting, more felt then saw Rogue dissolve into shadow.

After all, light need darkness for balance.

Larcade smiled and sent out not the cross itself but a wave of magic that seemed to have no affect. It was strong, that Sting would grant him but it didn’t seem to do anything. He looked at Yukino and then shrugged and lifted his fist to launch his own attack when he felt it.

He was... hungry? Whatever it was also increased his sense of smell and it occurred to him why this Larcade bothered him, he smelled like Natsu and something about his features were similar. He was about to make a comment but Rogue who wasn’t effected by the magic slammed a fist wrapped in dark magic against the other mage.

Larcade sneered from where he landed a few feet away. He hadn’t thought that the Shadow Dragon would be unaffected but he most certainly could change that. After all dragon slayers were no match for him. He shifted his stance and sent his cross at him.

“It is a good idea to take advantage of one’s strengths. I commend you.” He stated as he stood up, his face schooling back into a serene look. “But I imagine that it would only be so long that you could fight me by yourself.”

“I don’t fight alone.” Rogue stated as he cast a glance towards Sting and Yukino.

Unfortunately for Rogue, right now he was alone. Yukino, weakened from the fight with Neinhart and Eeto had succumbed to the magic first and was kneeling on the ground. He could hear her soft whines and the anger it ignited in him felt close to what he thought Future Rogue would have felt.

Sting was also affected but he was kneeling next to Yukino trying to help her.. Even Lector and Frosch were affected if the way they were complaining about hunger was a the main symptom. 

“What a dirty trick.” Rogue stated dismissively. “Aren’t you supposed to be powerful?”

Even such an insult didn’t break Larcade’s demeanor. Instead he merely allowed his serene smile to stretch a little bit further. “Of course a human would think such a thing. Humans have such base needs: food, pleasure and sleep. It’s so easy to manipulate them.”

“And you think you’ve got it all figured out?” Rogue stated as he shifted his stance.

“Hunger is probably the worst of my magic.” Larcade walked calmly across the field sending his cross flying at Rogue but the Shadow Dragon easily dodged and defended against it each time that it came for him. “Eventually the hunger will get too strong. I assume the White Dragon is the strongest of the two? Won’t it be divine when he starts to eat your friends?”

Rogue growled in fury and the cross took him by surprise he was sent flying backwards but he landed on his feet and shot forward to land an attack. Rogue wasn’t sure of many ways to break such a spell. They weren’t common in Ishgaul but he was sure that if he beat the other wizard down it might break his spell.

Unfortunately, Rogue couldn’t help but let his eyes turn to his friends time and time again to check on them. Sting was strong and could resist the magic but the question was for how long?

Rogue wasn’t prepared for his answer, after all Larcade was right about one thing. He wasn’t strong enough to defeat the wizard on his own. Probably the only thing saving him was the amount of power that he had spent casting the first spell. He wondered if Larcade often cast such large spells and then let his enemies destroy themselves instead of actually fighting them.

At Yukino’s scream, he turned to rush to them but that seemed to be the distraction that his opponent was waiting for. The sheer pain that exploded in Rogue’s side was a surprise. The cross that he had so effortlessly been dodging before caught him in the side and sent him flying forward. The pain was greater than any of the hits he had taken before.

“I mentioned.” Larcade said, his voice still charming. “That pleasure was one of the things that humans need. Although pain is a good trade off don’t you think?”

The cross slammed into him again but this time his stomach and he couldn’t help but cough up blood as he felt his ribs break. He tuned out Yukino’s cries, after all, she and Sting were just pulled on each other’s arms, not yet attempting to truly hurt each other.

“More dirty tricks.” Rogue spat as he leveled an unimpressed glare at Larcade. “That still won’t win you this fight.”

“It’s funny that you really think that you can win.” A soft smile was etched onto that soft face and Rogue wanted nothing more than to wipe it across the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really do enjoy writing fight scenes and it’s been so long I can’t help but feel they are trash. Either way, gotta keep doing them to get better!

**Author's Note:**

> So, this chapter is kind of set up and lore but I did say slow burn. Let me know what you think!


End file.
